Dead Wood and New Growth

On Easter Sunday, Dad asked TJ if he would do him a favour and climb up in the old ash tree to kick down some dead wood to put on the fire. Little Findlay in tow, the boys went out on their mission and came back with armfuls of spongy branches, all broken down into a manageable size.

“Dead wood makes for excellent kindling” Dad had said. And the old ash tree would benefit from not having it there anymore... I mean, dead wood doesn’t do anything. The lovely leafy growing days are over. Why not chop it out and make room for new growth!

As children, we’d scramble up and down through the ash tree like monkeys, and we’d know for certain that the branches were strong and would hold us. You can see it here behind us in the picture. If we did ever find dead wood after a winter had passed, we’d remove it quickly so that nobody fell after entrusting their weight to it.

You can probably see what I’m angling at here. Although it is an agonisingly empty process, it can be a very good thing to simply accept when something or someone in your life is no longer able to be there for you. Committing yourself to them might only send you tumbling down and down. For me, it is time to make room for new growth, to monkey-about as a single girlie again, and to enjoy my incredible friends and family.