When I was a little girl there was a tree that grew near me

I recall asking my Mom about why this tree looked so different from al the others near our home

My eyes always drawn to how it would bend in inviting ways, without sharp corners or rigid lines

Its smooth exterior skin exposed from coarse bark

My child wonder could not help but run my tiny hands along its surface

I would sit on my patch of grass looking at this lone tree, admiring its whimsical ways and open nature

It was an Arbutus

As shared by my Mom this one in particular was very special

For the Arbutus usually don’t do well too far from the ocean

This one did though, a lone, strong Arbutus living far from its desired home yet gifting me with its beauty

I would pay extra attention to the Arbutus, proudly telling the tale that it was a very special treat for us have in growing where it did

 

I sat at the ocean edge today admiring an Arbutus

It reminded me of my childhood memory

Filling myself with the salt air I thought of my strong roots and the Arbutus that grew so well even in its less than ideal surroundings

I thought about the beauty in its exposed ways, how it lives in bend and curve, never with rigidity

The salt of the ocean offering it nourishment, healing and growth

Maybe the Arbutus that lived near me would have thrived more so living near the sea

It seeded before my time and flourished long past my childhood

During that time it continued to grow and extend its beauty in its unique way

What made it so special to me was that it managed to do so when so many thought it couldn’t be

So many years later and I think I understand why I came to know

The story of the Arbutus tree

~Alisa Hutton