Friday, June 17, 2016

What kind of pine tree are you?

Well the week has gone quickly and my regular Friday post has not been written. I kept musing poetically this evening as I drove from my home in central Georgia to St. Simons Island on the Atlantic coast. There is a piece of each scenery which is so familiar and rustic. Which leads me to think, which pine tree would I be.

Rows and rows of tree farms,the silvery backsides of some errant deciduous tree would be in the fold of pines. Sooner of later, they will burn the forest to get rid of competing plants in addition to excessive fuel for fire. There is a point where there is so much fuel that the a wildfire would burn so hot that it would kill the trees.

Farming is doing well. It is hot as hades outside but the plants love it.

This past weekend has been a big turning point for me. I won't say I grew up poor. I grew up with limited resources and uncertainty. It made me an independent person. I've never been able to relax and put my fate in someone else's hands.

I've never been stingy. I tip. I pay service people what they ask. But I am thrifty. I find a plastic bag that can serve as a trash can liner, I use that bag. I dilute my shampoo to make it last longer. I cook an extra piece of meat for dinner to divvy up between my dogs. Fortunately the sixty pound ones see their small piece is the same size as the others and don't complain.  

Where am I going with all of this?

What kind of pine tree am I.

Am I the stray one in a field that has survived a cutting the past year. I'm most definitely not one of the young ones in a row. I would have wanted to be one of those at one time. I am a conformist. I like to be in the norm. I guess I am one of the older trees in a row. I would have liked to have been the sole pine that was about ten feet taller than the rest. It's limbs wresting in the wind and looked remarkably like a cartoon character moving in place. But I've never liked being the center of attention, so that one is not me.

I forgot my nightgown, so I am sleeping in the closest thing I have to being a t-shirt. I do have a big housecoat. It is that official point of relaxation that I am missing with not having my nightgown. At home, I wear some loose fitting pants and a shirt in case I have to get up in the middle of the night for some reason.

I am the caregiver of three people I love. None of them are a big burden. What I offer most is my time and haphazard cooking ability. I made a pot of spaghetti, salad and cooked some small loaves of bread from the grocery store before I left. I know a lot of their meals will be the weight watcher frozen meals, soup, cereal and easy to make food. My mother has the spirit to cook a lot of food but not the energy. And she is on a salt free diet which limits her desire to eat.

A man who is ten years younger than me died of lung cancer last week. I knew him from walking up and down an area of my hometown. One time, I came close to giving him money because something did not add up to his having a home. But a car drove up with a woman around my age. He looked peeved from having to wait and headed for the car.

What I did notice was his hair was cut, his clothes were decent and clean but he was out of place. He clearly did not have a purpose. No, I don't think he died because he had no purpose. I think he missed so much of the joy of life that purpose gives us. For him to be wandering up and down the road until everyone in my family knew who I was talking about, he clearly did not have a place. I knew of one homeless man that the community rallied behind that actually had a home for awhile. It was the loneliness that led him back to the streets.

He had no obituary, no funeral. You can't save the world. But I wish, the world could have saved him.

So tonight, I will sleep well from working hard this week. But my prayers are to thank God for my purpose and place tonight. It might not be what I would have chosen; but, it clearly is a gift. I will also pray for those who struggle in this world.

I know I am a pine tree that was planted with purpose and has a place.
             

12 comments:

  1. I'm probably a pine tree that went crazy from all the dogs peeing on me lol good to have a purpose indeed, keeps one living.

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    1. hehe, I had an elderly, arthritic cat that kept two rottweilers on my front porch for two hours. I come home from work and witness the injustice and picked her up. The owner two houses down wanted to wait and see how long it lasted. Not a good idea, Lillybelle would have had to whup those two dogs terribly. Long story short, I'm sure Cassie and Orlin would have watched out for you as a pine tree. Of course your pine tree would never have any birds.

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  2. This is a nice thought to share. We all need to open our hearts and lives to all around us.

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    1. There's more to the story. I just try to not share too much personal info of other people. Thanks, You can tell there are lots of preachers in my family tree. It is either heredity, in the water or a conditioned response due to where I grew up and live. I think it may be the latter.

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  3. Sad about the man.
    Mice that you make meals for others. Cooking for mom when she can't have salt would be challenging.
    I'd be a pine tree in a mountain forest, surrounded by other trees but with a little bit of space.

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    1. It could get noisy near you at times, a small clearing is a perfect place for a picnic in the shade. But you could use all that dialog. Thanks for the visit Alex.

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  4. That is sad about the man. You obviously watched or studied him a lot to know things about him like this. I hope where you have travelled for a time is a nice getaway. I think I would be a lone pine with deep roots and a withered look.

    Betty

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    1. At one time I drove the main street four times taking my brother back and forth to the workshop he attends. So, I recognized people walking, people walking dogs and a few stray souls. I had a beautician friend that really had a grasp on all the people like him. One of the cruelest things in life is being excluded. I think we all need each other.
      I think I'll steal your image of a pine. It sounds like me. I saw a meme on the internet where one older woman tells another older woman she's not a cougar but a tired old housecat. Somehow being a tired old housecat seemed like more fun for me.

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  5. So many people exist like that. They never really learn to live.

    I'd be a short little pine tree growing stubbornly from a rocky outcropping. And since I'm a bit of a free spirit, someone would decorate me every year for Christmas and I'd like it.

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    1. Oh that is cool, I like the idea of people decorating the tree. If a time warp opens, I am going to decorate a tree like that this Christmas.

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  6. You'd make a lovely Pine! I hope that your time away allows your muse to awaken even further, as you have so many thoughtful things to share. As evidenced by your interest in the unknown man, I bet as a Pine you really wouldn't mind too much if other trees just wanted to grow in your shade :-)

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    1. Diedre, you certainly are a pick me up. Thanks for the kind compliments.

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