by Jesse Ayers
Thanks for the letter and the prompt. I appreciate you reaching out. I’ll do my best to describe what “lockdown” is like for me, in a way that is relatable to anyone.
Being locked down is a lot like being a tree that just got pruned. Trees receive nutrients from the sun through what is called photo-synthesis. When a tree loses its leaves and branches, its roots grow deeper into the soil to soak up nutrients from the earth in order to survive. When the tree’s branches grow back and its leaves return, it is finally rooted than ever before and stronger than ever.
Can you imagine the strength of a tree? Apple trees have to be incredibly strong, to hold up all those apples, and palm trees bend all the way from side to side in the middle of a hurricane, yet after the storm they’re still standing tall. Redwood trees and Sequoias survive for thousand years, through many forest fires, and as evidence science have found a specific pine cone that only opens after it has been heated up over 500 degrees! Like in a fire the pine cone will burst open and spread its seed home in the suit and soil for the new trees after the fire is gone and the rain comes.
Trees are very vulnerable. Anyone can walk up to a tree and chop it down. Anyone can walk up to a tree and punch it or kick it and the tree is defenseless, much like us right now, defenseless, vulnerable, our leaves and branches cut off too, like the trees, must spread our roots, dig deep, find our nutrients in the soil that surrounds us. When our branches are cut off and our leaves grow back we will be bigger, stronger and more firmly rooted than ever before.
This pandemic will continue to take people from us and we will continue to feel and see suffering, but just like the forest fires they’ve survived they have the responsibility to each other to carry on with dignity and grace and courage in a time where nothing but our absolute best will be what it takes.
We all have gifts and talents and it is more now than ever that we must use all the skills to better our place on this planet. Just like the storms before, when they are gone we will bare bigger and better fruit on our branches. Being vulnerable does not make us weak. Being defenseless does not make us weak. Bending and breaking does not make us weak. Being flexible ( through no matter what) is what makes us strong.
Just like my favorite childhood movie’s theme song says (All Dogs Go To Heaven) “You can’t keep a good dog down.” And Tupac’s hit “Keep Ya’ Head Up.” This pandemic grip on us will not last forever. The curve has been bent and the eye of the storm has gone passed us. Pretty soon Auntie and Dorothy will be back in Kanas with lil’ Toto (Wizard of Oz).
Thank you for being a part of the planet with me. We are all in this together. If one of us sneezes in China one of us gets sick in the United States. ”It’s a small world after all.”
Plus, I hear there is no smog in the world right now. Maybe that will open the eyes and the ears of certain people. Maybe other people will take heed to the scientific facts as to just exactly what our global thumb or foot print really is.