I saw something today that inspired me. I didn’t see someone overcome their struggles despite overwhelming odds. I didn’t witness a life-altering event. I didn’t see anything special at all, really. I saw a tree.
Yes, you read that correctly. I was inspired by a tree.
Sounds crazy, right?
It’s a miserable winter’s day outside. The cold temperature, combined with the moisture in the air, is enough to chill the bones of anyone. When I stand outside, I don’t hear the sound of traffic like I usually do. There’s a car going by every now and then, but not like a usual Saturday. The kids in the neighborhood aren’t playing games in the empty lot that is opposite my house, like they usually do on the weekends. I don’t even hear any of the dogs in the area barking. Everyone seems to want to stay inside today, and who could blame them? It’s downright depressing out there. I’m right with them. Today is a perfect day to get cozy, finish my homework, and maybe read a book. I know I don’t want to be outside at all.
But I left my Accounting textbook in the car. “Why didn’t I bring that in lastnight?” was all I could ask myself. I had to grudgingly get bundled up, just to brave the journey from my kitchen door to my car, thirty feet away in the driveway. Go out, grab book, come back in. It was an easy mission that went according to plan, and I even came across my friend’s wallet that he lost the night before. I’ll bring it back to him sometime later.
When I closed the door and started heading back to the house, I saw it. It has always been here, and is probably older than the house itself. It’s become part of the scenery, and I don’t notice it at all. Usually, anyway. The holly tree in my yard is nothing out of the ordinary, especially living in the “Holly City”. What made it stand out today?
It’s bearing fruit. The tree is covered in hundreds of little red berries. Big deal, it’s a holly tree, that’s what they do. But it looked beautiful, especially in contrast to the damp and dreary environment surrounding it. All of the other trees have either shed their leaves, or are wearing nothing but shades of orange and brown. It looks nice in October, but it gets depressing when that’s all you have to look at for months on end.
So what’s the big deal about the holly tree? Nothing really. It is, after all, just a tree. But seeing it the way I saw it today was enough for me to learn something from it. The holly tree taught me that although things may look bad from time to time, something beautiful can be found if you just look around.
Funny how the most mundane things can inspire a person.
