The Lightening Tree

Across from my bedroom window facing the Verrazano Bridge there is a small park.  The park really nothing more than a tiny city green space with some benches, trees and flowers, but it is lovely.  This park has been and remains a great place to sit in the warm weather, enjoy the fresh air and one’s neighbors.  Often in the summer, some young person will have their guitar, flute or other instrument and practice.  Last summer a horn player visiting from New Orleans graced us with some really great soulful music.

In this park, on the eastern edge is an old growth Linden tree.  It is as majestic as they come, but for some reason it attracts lightening; so much so, that some in the neighborhood, including myself, refer to it as the Lightening Tree.  Its trunk is scarred and twisted and has to have many branches removed because of damage done during severe lightening storms.  I have witnessed lightening strike this tree during a summer storm and saw that afterward it had shed all its leaves.  I was sure that the tree would not recover.  Yet, this tree still stood and thrived the next season shooting out new branches and leaves.

  

Some weeks before Superstorm Sandy, I noted with sadness that the tree was marked with an orange “X”.  This “X” means that this tree was slated for removal by the Park’s Department. 

The night Sandy hit, I lay in bed feeling the winds buffeting my old brick building that has stood for more than 100 years.  I listened as the wind howled, the rain pelted and branches snapped.  I also heard what must have been trees falling and I thought: I wonder if that is the old Lightening tree falling?  I thought to myself there was no way this damaged and scarred old tree could survive such an intense storm.

The next morning, I walked outside to see the damage around the neighborhood.  I looked to the south and to my amazement the tree still stood.  It was only one of three trees in this small park to survive the storm.  This tree has yet to be removed by our parks service even after eight or so months after being marked as too weak and scarred to stand. 

To me, the survival of this tree is inspirational.  This tree a visual reminder that although we may be buffeted by the strong winds, lightening and rain that life sends our way, we can still stand strong against the storm and still thrive.  We just need to hang on, trust our roots to hold us upright and wait for the storms to pass.