The Man and His Tree

There once was a man who lived in a hole in a tree. In his tree he felt safe nestled beneath its wide roots and cloaked from what dangers may be lurking outside of his hole. He lived in a state of absolute solitude. He watched with fear at the life that passed by around him outside of his tree. He saw animals come and go, frolicking and playing- he also saw animals attacked by others and eaten for food. He saw storms, snow, ice, wind and sun. Yet in his hole he remained. He was unchanged, stable, and safe- or so he thought.

In this very old and very large tree he found comfort of having his own world to maintain without the need to engage in the other. The sap provided some nutrition along with the bugs for food; the nuts and berries that would wind up at the edge of his tree; the leaves, the moss and the grass sustained him. And the dew was grand and the rain was plenty. Yes, he loved his hole- then again; he had nothing else to compare love to.

As time went on he noticed something shifting with his great protector, the age of the tree has finally taken a toll and was not going to be sturdy for much longer. The man was terrified! He could stay and wait for the tree to fall and hope it leaves just enough to keep his hole covered; but then what if he stays and is crushed by the tree? As he sat there pondering his fate more and more the creaks and cracks of the old tree grew louder and he could feel the vibration with every movement. He did not want to die, so what other choice did he have than to leave his hole? He has never stepped more than a few feet away from his protector for as long as he could remember. He did not know his name, he had all but forgotten how to speak and even then it was a broken semblance of English.

The sun was raging and hot and he feared he would catch fire, the wind was strong and fierce and he immediately thought he would blow away. The sounds of the forest were alive and the animals were scurrying around him…in such terror he passed out landing on a rock which killed him. The wondrous beauty of life was all around him every day. He saw things that those outside of the tree would find enchanting, inviting, joyous, sad, and at times scary too. This man never knew any of those wonders of life.

He hid from life, bound by fear…and it was that very fear of living with took his life away.