A Tale of Two Oaks

It's the first Sunday in April.  As I sit in quiet contemplation a swirl of flurries whisks its way past the large bay window in the meeting house. My mind says "this shouldn't be."  And what is, is. 

On Saturday it was cold too.  A dusting of snow blanketing the dreary brown brightening it up a bit, but my motivation was low to go out. As I at my breakfast I spotted a post from a friend quoting Thich Nhat Hahn "twenty-four brand new hours are before me, I vow to live fully in each moment."  

Ok! I resolved to make this day count, but where to begin? 

I decided a nice slow walk of the property would be a good start.  I noticed branches down, broken tree limbs, and leaves everywhere.  I could work on any one of these but I see where vines have twisted themselves around two oaks that I planted a few years ago.  
 
One oak as been killed by the vine.  I'm sad about that.  
The other one has managed to survive even though the vine has found it way around the slender truck of the tree and into the branches.  

As I ponder this situation and wonder why I allowed these vines to grow.

If I am to be completely honest, I'd have to admit that I've let myself become more cynical and hopeless in the last year.  I've let some things go.  I've allowed the political situation to seep into my psyche. It seems like as a nation we are moving backward not forward.  

I grab by machete. Sharpen the blade and begin hacking.  It feels good to remove the parasite from around the oaks.  After an hour I've cleared the whole spot except for the one surviving oak.  It now has room to breathe. 

One thing that does give me hope is that in the world of vines and trees there are many more trees!

The inquiry I am in today is twofold:

• What have I neglected in my life that now has vines threatening to kill it?
• Where should I start chopping?  

​Joshep Olejak