PINE TREES AND WISDOM TEETH ROOTS

LAST OF THE PINE TREES, JAMESTOWN, NC

After we transferred to North Carolina from Kansas, we decided to build a house similar to the one we had left, in a development that was nearing completion.  The rather wild vegetation on the lot included about eight maturing pine trees in the back.  Our new backyard neighbor approached me during construction and noted that he had secured the services of a tree company that would remove our pine trees for the value price of one hundred dollars apiece, since they still had full access to the trees and could sell the trunks later.  After giving the offer little thought, we mentioned that “we’re from Kansas and we really like the idea of having towering pine trees in our back yard”, so they remained for a few years. 

And then as the pine trees grew out and began to lose the support and protection of their diminishing surroundings, the shallow rooted, top heavy trees slowly began to topple and lean precariously in ice and wind storms, prompting me to have them removed one at a time.  The process was slow and painfully expensive since the area was now completely built up with surrounding homes and now they are all gone.

Over the years I have had two wisdom teeth residing on the back of my upper set of teeth.  Dental technicians have complained that it is difficult to clean between these two wisdom teeth and their immediate neighbors.  My dentists have all had their eyes on these two teeth for extraction, but I’ve always responded that I like my wisdom teeth and they aren’t causing any problem! 

Then a couple of weeks ago I was innocently watching television and I got a sharp series of painful jabs in the location of my upper left wisdom tooth.  As I got comfortable with these discomforts never returning, it happened again last week, so I scheduled an appointment with my dentist for an exam.  An X-Ray quickly revealed that I needed a root canal procedure in the tooth immediately next to my wisdom tooth that I dearly have held onto for all these years.  Now that I’m finished with the root canal, I need to have the wisdom tooth removed to make way for a crown.  I suspect the other one is on the way out as well.  The final cost will be much higher than simply removing the wisdom teeth earlier.  I now realize I really wasn’t THAT attached to them!

Then it occurred to me that there seems to be a direct correlation between my decisions on both the pine trees and the wisdom teeth.  In both cases, I had the time to make a proactive decision to economically and painlessly remove the impending problem or simply kick the can down the road in futile hopes that the problem would go away.  Well, we all probably have the easy answer to that riddle if we’ve lived long enough!  So, bite the bullet and do what ya gotta do now before the end result is much more painful. 

There’s some wisdom in these sad stories and a moral about making sure your roots are fully grounded!

THOUSAND MILE ROOTS

Roots, Valley Forge, PA

The summer storm season always challenges just how deeply rooted most trees have become when the violent winds begin their assault across the countryside. Trees like southern pines that are shallow-rooted generally don’t fare too well. When we moved to the Carolina's and purchased a lot, the contractor asked if we would like to remove the eight tall pine trees scattered among the other trees in the backyard at a reasonable cost. We immediately replied that we had moved from Kansas and loved the idea of a wooded backyard, so we ultimately had the fallen trees removed one at a time at considerably more money! I sadly watched from our back window when the last pine tree slowly began its fateful descent during a bad wind and ice storm as it unceremoniously smashed a new wooden arbor.

Roots are the critical anchoring part of all plant life. Those life forms that have developed deep roots will weather the storms of life much better than their shallow-rooted neighbors. Roots growing downward into the soil also absorb life sustaining nutrients and moisture to keep them healthy. I took the accompanying photo along the banks of the Valley River a few years ago where the deep roots of our democracy were forged. The tough winter at Valley Forge for George Washington and his troops tested their resolve to its core. The new album from the Zac Brown Band reminds us that “My roots always keep me grounded. Roots remind me where I’m from…Even when I’m a thousand miles away, I’m still home.”

Ironically, I now live a thousand miles away from my hometown in the heartland of America. But the spiritual roots of our lives have an infinite reach, even through the thin veil of other dimensions. My family will always be part of the grounding that helps to keep me vertical. Those formative years of growing up surrounded by their love and care along with their faith will sustain me all the days of my life. I didn’t always get my way, but I always got what I needed, although some things weren’t apparent until many years later. Just one example was my father’s rejection of a ragtop convertible that I had chosen for my first car when I turned 16. Although disappointing at the time, that was a good decision in retrospect, as I’m still here writing about the experience.

And I still draw sustenance from those roots, even when I’m a thousand miles away.