Seth Godin reminds us of a not-so-astonishing fact: TREES CAN’T RUN.
I’ve been thinking about the mighty weeping willow that was a part of this JUST A MOMENT video/blog post. One of those beautiful, sprawling trees whose branches seem to reach down and touch the earth. It has stood through countless seasons. Blazing summers. Bitter winters. Torrential rains. Winds that have bent its branches almost to the breaking point.
It has seen the best of seasons and the worst of seasons.
And yet, there it stands.
Maybe we’re a little like that willow.
We have our seasons, too. Times when life blooms and everything feels possible. And times when we’re weathering storms we never asked for, wondering how much more we can take.
But perhaps there’s something to learn from a tree.
Trees can’t run. They put down roots. They find their place. They stand alongside other trees, offering shade, shelter and a little protection from whatever weather comes their way.
They understand something about belonging. About neighborhoods. About good neighbors.
They also understand the long game. A tree doesn’t measure its life by today’s weather. It grows slowly, season after season, knowing that what matters isn’t just what happens now, but what gets passed along.
And here’s the thing: trees are mortal, too. Branches break. Trees fall. Forests change. But seeds scatter, new roots take hold, and life begins again.
We humans have a wonderful gift trees don’t: We can make new decisions, change direction, leave places that no longer sustain us, and begin again.
But sometimes we exercise that freedom too quickly. We run when perhaps we ought to stay. We uproot ourselves when maybe what we need is to put down deeper roots, stand for something, and weather a season alongside others.
Maybe the question isn’t always, Where can I go?
Sometimes it’s, What is worth staying for? Who needs me to stand alongside them? And what might grow because I stayed?
Hey, Pause. Just a moment.
Be a little more like that weeping willow. Bend when you must. Reach out to others. Stand tall when you can. And remember that not every difficult season is a reason to run.
Some places, some people, and some things are worth putting down roots for.
And sometimes the most beautiful thing we can do is simply stay.
