Wisdom Willow

nowI walked to the Weeping Willow and asked, “Why do we lose the ones we love?”

I then collapsed to the ground beneath the shady waving branches and leaned back onto the smooth trunk of the ancient tree. A gust of wind stirred the yellow-green leaves and their mingled sound was transformed into a soothing voice.

“All of life is made up of gains and losses, discoveries and adaptations, risks and rewards.”

“But how can I go on, alone?” The tears on my face were drying quickly.

“You were alone before, was it chance that you found companionship? You can do so again, when you have grieved.”

“It aches so much! So deep inside. Will I ever stop hurting and be happy again?”

“You must listen to your heart honestly. Some people seek to explore the world and lose themselves in its complexity, while others look to make a home and raise another generation.”

Strength flowed through my body as I lay on the grass. I lifted my head to see the world around me again, through eyes unclouded by pain and doubt.

“How did you learn all of this, you who is wed to the ground and can never move except when the wind blows?”

The branches stopped their rustling, and even seemed to droop more in the silence that followed.

“I have grown here beside the river for longer than your village has existed, and have proved a welcoming site for people to come when they desire to be ‘alone’. Many have been the young that have come here to the Weeping Willow. Almost as many come back when they are older and have weathered life's challenges, to tell me their tales and make of me the Wisdom Willow.”