The Giving Tree

I walk out of my house on Monday morning and guess what I see -- a new tree! What a lovely surprise! I decided to name it "The Tree"

photo of The Tree as a baby

To my delight, new trees were planted all along the street, as if someone came to my neighborhood in the middle of the night to commit street justice and bring happiness to the inhabitants of the earth! Kind of like Santa Clause but this time I actually received a gift!

Trees are so good for us. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing for our sight and souls, they also keep our air supply fresh by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

• In one year, an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven up to 8700 miles.
• Trees provide shade and shelter, reducing yearly heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.
• Trees lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves.
• Tree roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.
• Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds.
• Trees provide food and shelter for wildlife.
• The death of one 70-year old tree would return over three tons of carbon to the atmosphere.

It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Tree in Los Feliz
(photo by dyy)

I have begun to appreciate trees after I met Tonkhero. It must be all the nature exuding out of him that I tried to resist... I guess my compromise was trees. Now I can't help but to notice the colors of the leaves and the shapes of the branches, and how the branches intertwine and extend haphazardly, giving each tree a distinct configuration and silhouette, as if each one has its own personality.

Tree in the park of La Brea Tar Pits
(photo by dyy)

Even in the winter when all the leaves have disappeared, and the trees are naked and vulnerable, I think they are gorgeous in this mysterious yet lucid and severly haunting way. When I microwave my lunch at work, I would look out of the window from the 8th floor and stare at the bare trees from the top. I would become mesmerized by the maze of the bare branches reaching out to the sky and to one another.

Bare tree have nothing to hide, yet I've notice people don't comment on bare trees as much. It probably reminds them of death. To me, I don't see death. I see secrets that were once covered by leaves. Secrets you can be privy to if you only notice.