EDITOR, The Tribune.
I thought I’d share an observation:
After the hurricane whilst clearing my garden of broken trees and many years of lovingly planted (and expensive) plants, I realised Mother Nature is telling us something. This hurricane “problem” is not the problem, it’s how we look at it that’s the problem. We may not realise it at the time but a problem’s really an opportunity to make things better, and so a big problem like this hurricane must be a blessing in disguise.
Even though we regularly have our trees trimmed by professionals throughout the year, many of our big beautiful trees were rotten inside, they looked so wonderful and majestic, we’d grown to love their splendour over the years, they were a constant in our lives we thought they’d stay forever. But, they were also too heavy, too tall, diseased, brittle and timeworn.
They had become weak where they’d rubbed up on other trees, they had masses of leaves that stifled the sunlight from the young saplings struggling to grow in their shade, and they probably would have fallen without warning, causing unknown distress.
Nonetheless, after clearing out the dead wood we now see a different horizon, and what a panoramic view we have!
So, what is our Mother Nature trying to tell us? I think she’s saying we need to clear out the decaying wood, we need to let the sunshine in, we need a new perspective, we need to replant wisely…Like putting the right tree species in the right location, so they have enough space to grow without harm or hindrance, establishing wind and disease resistant trees that can endure and flourish after the next storm.
This will allow trees that are young, flexible and supple a chance to develop to their full potential, they will sway and bend in a breeze and not break, they’re also not contaminated and sick or diseased by rubbing up to each other. When the timeworn rotten trees have gone the outlook changes, plus it’s much safer without the decaying rot hanging over our heads.
Sometimes we need something big and tragic to happen to make us look at the opportunity’s growing right in front of us. Perhaps we should pay attention to Mother Nature’s warnings, or ignore her at our peril.
Do you think maybe now is the time to let the saplings grow and develop in the full and glorious Bahamian sunlight?
RUTH CLEECE THACKRAY
Nassau,
October 18, 2016.
Comments
themessenger 7 years, 4 months ago
It is also a great pity that the hurricane did not rid us of the contaminated, diseased, timeworn and rotten dead wood that serves as the government of our fair country, making way for the young, flexible and supple to grow and develop in the full and glorious Bahamian sunlight.
birdiestrachan 7 years, 4 months ago
I I had a great big beautiful Jacaranda it is no more. for some reason the pine trees held up well. and so did the crepe myrtles.
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