Behind my current house, along a narrow deer path through a wall of raspberry bushes, is a fallen oak. It is about four feet in diameter and looks as if it once stood 40 feet tall, but now, it is tilted over with its upper branches stuck in a nearby tree. The roots have been torn from the ground and now stand straight into the air. The place where they once were is now a hole, exposing the raw dirt deeper in the ground. This made me think about the tree and its roots. If the tree had made a better root system, stronger and deeper, it would have been less likely to fall. The trunk and branches outweighed the roots so much that when the tree started to fall the roots could do nothing about it. This is a giant metaphor for life. For example my mom always said “be as great as you want, but never forget your roots”. I thought that she meant she wanted me to pay her back for all of the trouble i caused her when i am older, but now I realize she was telling me to always treasure my friends and family. She was reminding me to always put friends and family first because without them, my roots, I would fall down like the tree. This also means that you have to become someone elses stability (or “roots”) because, friendship isnt one sided. Both people have to support each other and trust each other in order to remain friends.

The Tree symbolizes us as human beings we grow, me mature and we die. But in that lifetime we find friends, friends to care about and rely on. We look for friends to be our helpers in life. Without the other plants and animals it could not survive. There is a cycle of help; the tree helps the animals and plants, then they help the tree. It is the same for humans. When we create friendships we create a cycle of trust. We trust in each other to have our backs and support us (physically and emotionally) in rough times and we do the same for them. For example, when you tell your best friend a big secret for the first time. You are trusting them not to tell anyone and to give you advice or support. You also somewhat expect them to trust you enough to tell you their secrets. This is what keeps the world running.

On a darker note, why do we hesitate to trust people? Why do we hesitate to try to make a true friend with any person? In my opinion it is because of human selfishness. You know some people will take advantage of your trust and abuse it out of selfishness. Like my dad destroying the fallen tree because it looked bad or someone just being your friend because they don’t know anyone else in class, once people feel they gain no benefit by being close to you, some will abandon you. It is a fake friendship that never lasts for long and they usually just end badly but, we all have them. We feel the need to always feel wanted and loved, weather it is real or not. The people who don’t leave you, the people who stay by your side through thick and thin, are your true friends. They will be your roots and will help and support you for the rest of your life. Those people are the ones you want to surround yourself with in order to be truly happy. This tree is may space to get away. Without it I can’t imagine what kind of person i would be.