I Love Trees

I love trees. As someone who lives in Indonesia, you will always be surrounded by trees wherever you go. Beside your house? Trees. On the sidewalk? Trees. In the forest? More trees. Every tree has its own story: how it grew, who or what planted the sapling, what it is used for, how many leaves it has, how many branches, and more. This is the same with humans; everyone has their own story. You may be going through a hard time right now, but you can get through it in your own way. Pave your own path. I want to introduce you to a quote that I keep deep in my heart: “It is ordinary to love the beautiful but beautiful to love the ordinary.” What if we take this quote and apply it to people? There may be beautiful roses in our everyday lives, celebrities, popular kids in school, and K-pop idols, but what if we shift our attention to everyday people? The people we meet at work, school, the airport, everywhere. Sure, they might not be as beautiful or athletic as the roses, but they are all unique and beautiful in their own ways. Everyone in this world deserves a chance to be loved, well, what if they aren’t likable? Not all trees don’t grow straight. They may start growing crooked, but what if we care enough for them to straighten them as they grow? As iron sharpens iron, we as humans should sharpen each other. Ordinary people are everywhere, and so are the chances for us to share kindness. Sure, it’s not easy, but it’s vital to take the first step. Hold the door for someone, compliment someone, start with the small things. Everyone always starts somewhere. Kindness goes both ways. You feel great, even satisfied to help someone. Just like trees, we need time to grow; we don’t grow in dramatic leaps but in small increments of improvement. We just have to keep going and not give up. There is a full sky to discover once your branches are tall enough.