Trees & their Root Systems

I learnt something about trees when I was working for a landscape gardener, that their root system acts as muscles to hold them up.
When the wind blows from the left, the left root has to dig deep to hold the tree in the ground. So the muscle grows on that side.
When the wind blows from the right, the right root forces itself to dig down and clench the soil, thus strengthening that side.

And so it continues. The tree gets buffeted about on all sides, gaining girth and strength and experience on all sides. The more buffeting it gets, the stronger and taller it becomes.

When it's icy the trunk buckles down to take it. When there's a drought, the roots travel amazing distances to find moisture.

This principle of nature is a bit too unpleasant for me, so I have to focus on the good aspects:

1. Any storm is good for me. Or, at least, I can use it to my advantage, to better me.
2. Any storm will pass. They are only temporary. The aim is to get through it. Hang in there until it's over.
3. The more storms I live through, the bigger and bolder I become inside.
4. The more weather systems I encounter, the more experienced I become.

Baby trees are called saplings. In their early years, we wrap them in orange plastic to protect them from the elements. Our aim is to help them grow straight up, not crooked.

However, if we left the plastic around them, thinking we are being kind, they become dependant on it, and never learn to fend for themselves, sending their own roots down to grip the soil themselves.

Dependency is a habit. It's what children do in their early years. Our job as parents is to prepare them for the 80 years of adulthood they will face, not to keep them as children.

You can replace the dependency habit with new habits of INdependence gradually, one by one. Something you grow into. Sadly, some people never grow out of dependence. They reach their 40's and 50's and are still dependant on their parents to bail them out, the state to give them money, the take-aways to feed them, the telly to entertain them, the solicitor to communicate for them.

I pass by a really tall majestic tree every Tuesday, and stop and look at it every week. Two separate trunks, growing straight up, no wavering, no hesitation, both of them proud, self assured, no apologies. Very impressive. What makes it like it is I wonder? It's the root system of course. This tree has had to go through many many storms, and has pulled through, and is now the tallest tree in the field.  Respect.

Let's welcome experiences.  If we respond to them correctly, they will be the most valuable learning tool we have