Yesterday I went for a drive with my sister to survey the damage from the ice storm on our street & neighbouring streets. Not much damage to homes or cars, but the trees had been split into pieces, their branches hanging over the street and blocking the sidewalks.
As we turned the corner, I was horrified to see one of my favourite trees sprawled out on the ground. The trunk had snapped in half.
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On our second unofficial date, Shiv and I went for our first walk together in my neighbourhood. It was a cool October evening. As we turned the corner, we stopped to admire a tree- not just any tree, but a tree with bright yellow leaves, glowing in the streetlight. Shiv went up to the tree and put his hand up on the bark. In that moment, I recognized what was right in front of me. The beauty of a tree brought out the beauty in a person I was just beginning to know.
It is that tree, in its silence and reverence, that now lies shattered on the ground.
Today I stood outside in the cold and listened to the trees swaying in the wind, their branches clinking together like glass.
And so, here’s to another year- and to planting more trees.
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