Waiting for Spring

  

Leafless…Not lifeless

 

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.~Albert Camus 

I have inexplicably been fascinated by this photo which was clicked by my husband somewhere in Sweden last year. I wanted to click a photograph of a verdant tree in all its glorious foliage when Sangeeta prompted me to post something for the THURSDAY CHALLANGE. I even had the most picturesque candidate right outside my house. A grand old Banyan tree complete with its ariel roots which the neighbourhood kids use to swing on gleefully, much to the horror of us elders who are forever haunted by vision of a kid slipping off the “swing” and hurting herself. Even now, as i think of that large tree I visualise myself lying under its large canopy, eyes closed and feeling a sense of contentment as I feel protected by nature herself.

 But I found myself drawn to this picture again and again. Ofcourse the facsination can be explained by the fact that having spent my entire life in the Gangetic plains of India, snowy winters are unknown to me. And as I looked at this picture, I could not help but imagine what this little cluster of trees looked like before the harsh winter set in and forced the trees to shed their leaves. I also try and see how , at the onset of spring when the snow thaws and favourable conditions for growth return, these trees will slowly spring back to life…one leaf at a time…and before long the entire cluster will be dressed with luxurious green and these skeletal days will be long forgotton 🙂  I smile at the vision 🙂

 But until then, the tree preserves its enery and just concentrates on the task of preserving the life force within. And all of us know that it will bounce back….and soon. All it has to do is to hold on until spring comes along. It is definitely not going to be easy, holding on in such cruel environs… but thats what it has resolved to do at this moment. 

Can we draw the conclusion here  that it is perfectly natural to adapt?!!