Finding Connection

The Lone Tree That Greeted Me for Years

Inspiration

Standing by itself in the middle of the path, it was impossible to pass without acknowledgment. Day after day, I pushed uphill with resolve, only to lose steam at the base of this tree. I would stop here, leaning against its steady trunk, catching my breath. 

​

As I rested, I started to get to know this tree. Weathered and solitary, it stood directly in the path, shaped as much by-passing feet as by time itself. Most of its branches were gone—broken away, stripped back—yet it remained upright. The ground around it was eroded, revealing a web of exposed roots gripping the hillside, thick and twisting, stretching across rock and soil in all directions. Holding fast despite constant wear, the tree mirrored something I recognized in myself: endurance, strength in the face of adversity, and the determination to keep standing strong.

It was at this point that I realized I had made a friend. From then on, with each passing run, I would willingly stop to greet the tree—placing my hand against its trunk as one might with a trusted companion. This ritual continued for some time. With my heart pounding from the climb, I pressed my hand against the tree and paused—listening, feeling, as if reaching for the rhythm of its own quiet pulse. In those moments, the exhaustion of the hill faded, and I sensed a steady, enduring presence beneath my palm—my friend, weathered yet unwavering, holding its ground as I caught my breath beside it.