One good deed

posted in: Uncategorized | 4

I believe we should all do at least one good deed in our lifetime (no point in getting carried away with the whole concept). With that in mind, I think I have now done something that will put me over my lifetime quota.

Whilst hiking through the forest, I heard a tree call my name. It was more of a bark than a spoken word, but it called  out none the less. I had passed the tree many times before and it had always remained very arboreal and never interrupted my hike with any form of communication before. But here, it had called my name and I found myself trudging up the hill to where it stood, and had stood for going on a hundred or more years.

“What’s up old man?” I asked,

The tree did not so much as whisper.

“Hmmm,” I pondered out loud. “What could be the situation?”

The situation, was obvious. Barbed wire, wrapped around the tree, as was the way things were done back in the fifties, was now choking the tree – albeit slowly.

Fortunately I always carry my Leatherman with me (along with about 14 kg. of other survival gear) and I went to work on loosening the girdle. Although my hand looked like I had tried to pet an angry bobcat I did manage to loosen the wiry tourniquet of death.

As I trudged back along my way, I thought I could hear the tree sigh, that great sigh, like when that pair of all too tight blue jeans come off at the end of a day. It may have just been the wind through the branches but I will say it was a sigh of relief.

4 Responses

  1. Wendy Leslie

    Wonderful act of kindness. You have given this tree a comfortable growing future.

  2. Wendy Leslie

    Wonderful act of kindness. You have given this tree a comfortable growing future.

  3. Rob Chalmers

    And now that tree will pay it forward for years to come. The awesome thing about a tree is, it was paying it forward even before you helped it.