NaBloPoMo Day 6: How Much Space Does a Tree Need?

Thudddddd !!!!!!!!!!!!

Shocked by the vibration that accompanied the loud noise of something crashing, I rushed outside my house. This was the sight that greeted my eyes…

The pipe that ran along the outside of our neighbour’s home had shattered and smashed onto the ground below. Looking up, I noticed there was a man who was hacking away at the upper part of the pipe that continued to stubbornly hug the building.

Once he had finished cutting it away, I confirmed it was safe to take a closer look and what I saw was astounding.

There was a tree that had grown right through the pipe!

It was such an amazing sight that I rushed to click these pictures before the workers dragged the pipe away.

As I later pondered over the phenomenon I had witnessed, two things struck me hard.

1. How strong is the natural instinct for growth – some seeds lying in the vicinity of the pipe’s outlet had found nutrition in it’s contents, germinated, and grown into a huge structure even within the rigid confines imposed by the pipe’s structure.

2. How much difference the surrounding conditions make to growth - what had grown into a knotty, woody, narrow and hard structure within the damp and dark space within the pipe might have turned into a beautiful, green, flexible, shade-giving tree if it had got the opportunity to grow freely in an open space.

By nature, people too are bound to grow. What we need to ponder over is this – are we providing ourselves and those around us the right environment for positive growth?