The Lemon Tree In My Backyard

i live in a really old house. it used to be my grandma's house. my mom grew up here for her entire life, but after i was born we moved away. but monthly, through-out my entire childhood, until we finally moved here for good when i was eleven, i came here to spend time with my grandma...my nana. so, i pretty much consider this house to be a place i grew up too.

there's a lemon tree out in the backyard. it used to be HUGE and full of lemons. those lemons would be used in cooking, shared with neighbors, and sliced up for the perfect addition to a glass of iced tea. every time one was in the kitchen, i would beg and beg to have a slice to bite into, loving the taste even though it made my mouth pucker up. i also remember being scolded, told i couldn't play in that corner of the yard because of all the thorns.

for the past few years, as the lemon tree grew older and produced less lemons, attempts were made to cut it down - less hassle when taking care of the backyard, no more thorns, less little animals creeping it in the back yard.... but every time that tree got cut down, it would start growing again. but every time, it looked a little less alive than it had before. it actually started to look defeated.

now, if you look at the trunk of the tree, it looks like this:

it's gray, mangled, and rather dead looking. like a tree that has had a long life, but has finally surrendered to the cycle of life. but...if you look up to the right, you'll see this:

beautiful green leaves, and GIGANTIC lemons shooting out, just out of that upper right side! the tree won't give up. and yeah, i know, big effing deal...it's a tree. but you know what, i think that's a trait to be admired. no matter how many times people try to get rid of it, or shut it down, it has the resilience to continue to grow and prove that it is stronger than you think it is. it still has life left in it, and although it cannot grow with the vigor it once did, it puts every ounce of effort into that small section of life it still has. it won't go down with out a fight.

thank you lemon tree, for a metaphoric life lesson. you can be my favorite tree if you want. =)

"I am too positive to be doubtful,

too optimistic to be fearful,

and too determined to be defeated."