Hunting Trees

Tree hunting earlier today with Ghost and his fam.  The boys were in rare form; the three oldest ones rode with me to the tree farm.  We were 'listening' to a TED talk about the circularity of silence.  Funny thing is, there was no silence in my Honda.  The irony was lost on them, but poignant for me. After about twenty minutes, I suggested we play the "Quiet Game" which has changed a bit since I was a girl.  Now, you can pause the game to say something.  I guess that's technology reeling it's hand.

We hunted and hunted for this tree.  After about thirty minutes, Ghost and Michee found the one that spoke to them.  It's perfect, isn't it!?  This photo is Ghost dragging the tree back to the car.

During my exile to the north, I missed out on these kinds of things.  Ghost would tell me about these sorts of family moments, the ones that create tradition and encourage a family unit ... and I always felt a sad sort of longing, mainly because I was so far away.  Today's schedule didn't pan out as I planned (ended up lifting in the afternoon instead of the morning) but I'd gladly give away my temporal rigidity for these kinds of moments.

What strikes me most about the experience of today is that we're all a bit like trees.  There's a saying that goes - "If you don't like where you are, move.  You are not a tree."  That sentiment carried me over these last twelve months.  I am not a tree, true story.  But I do like where I am.