text: On a particularly lovely Tuesday, in a particularly lovely part of nowhere specific, a tiny seedling (no bigger than the nail on your thumb) began to tumble towards the earth. The cause of this lucky event is unknown; perhaps the winds that day were quite strong, or perhaps a squirrel scampered along the branch where this seedling previously resided, knocking it off on his way to do whatever squirrels do on Tuesdays that happen to be particularly lovely. Whatever the case, the seedling was rapidly descending in the air, swirling and twirling in a most nauseating fashion on its way down from the branch where it had been growing up until now. It landed softly with an unheard thump, surrounded by what appeared to be very tall blades of grass; at least, they were tall from the seedling’s perspective. The seedling did not fully understand this yet, but the soft patch of soil and grass onto which it plummeted moments ago would be its new permanent home, for the rest of its life. If someone were to relay this fact to the seedling, it would regard the situation as one that evokes bittersweet emotions, for the seedling had merely just discovered that not only could it venture to other places besides the branch on which it formerly grew, but that doing so was a marvelously exhilarating experience. The seedling yearned to explore everywhere it could possibly reach and then some, but alas this was physically impossible. However, the patch of ground where it was currently sitting was comfortable, and had the perfect balance of sun and shade. Therefore, although the seedling would be disappointed it could not travel to new, unfound places, it would still be happy to sit in the grass and for once, have an exciting memory. The next couple of days were pleasantly exciting as well to say the least. The seedling -still growing accustomed to its new habitat- was witness to multiple less than dull events from a human’s point of view. However, to a seedling who had only recently discovered that (big shocker) the rest of the world exists, these events were quite groundbreaking. It watched attentively as a brown ant carried a speck of food triumphantly across its unchanging field of vision. It admired the grace of a fresh dewdrop as it slid elegantly down the spine of one of its neighbouring grass blades. It cringed with strange delight as a tiny spider impolitely acquainted itself with the seedling by extending four of its long, prickly appendages and using them to feel the seedling’s smooth, hard, exterior shell. These were all amazingly unique experiences for the seedling, and it would remember them as prime character building events for the duration of its life. Over a period of several weeks, the seedling began to sprout its roots, which dug deep into the ground to secure its place on the earth. At the same time, it was sprouting a stem upwards. It was thin and green; nearly translucent with its infancy. From the stem grew leaves, which gathered energy and nourishment from the glorious sun overhead. The tiny plant felt good, as if it had found purpose in life. A simple, manageable purpose, but a purpose nonetheless: to grow. And grow it did. The tiny plant, now a strong, hearty tree, was home to a multitude of small creatures and was witness to hundreds of moments, both big and small, each one holding a special place in its memories. It grew wiser with each new experience, and just a bit stronger each day. The tree from which it originally sprouted eventually aged too far to continue to flourish with new leaves each spring, or support too much weight on its branches. During a hurricane, a powerful gust of wind blew in just the right direction to knock it down. Its upturned roots however, were now home to a lovely family of foxes, which would have made the old tree very happy if it had known that it would one day be used as a shelter for them. The strong tree held a nest of three baby robins and two adults between three intertwined branches, two squirrels in its belly, seventeen caterpillars who all resided in different parts of the tree, but knew each other as neighbours, five spiders and their respective webs, and a racoon that dug a burrow underneath the tree’s roots. The tree also served as a rest stop to many birds and insects, and welcomed each new resident with the same courtesy as the last. The tree liked to think of itself as a busy, friendly hotel. Over its years, as it slowly aged, the tree saw many astounding sights. At least, they were astounding to the tree and its residents. It survived one hundred and seventy two lightning storms, two droughts, five floods, twenty one snow storms that lasted more than three days, and each spring its leaves grew back even greener than the year before. The tree was forty nine years old, and it treasured each day as a healthy habitat for the woodland creatures who were proud to call it a home. Tomorrow, it would celebrate its fiftieth year on earth. In an unfortunate yet ironic twist, it was cut down before the day could finish to make paper for posters advertising the harmful effects of deforestation.