Death Doesn’t Always Mean the End. Sometimes Dying is Really Beginning.

Trees have always held a special place in my heart. If you’ve read my book Arrive, you probably already recognized this. I find so much admiration in them, and I have gained a lot of wisdom from tree gazing. Every time I spend time in nature with trees, I always gain something new and learn something profound. It is as though the universe teaches and speaks to me through trees.

Even the Strong Fall. But the Wise Understand by Falling, You Can Rise as Something New.

~Tanyell Cole

It’s no coincidence that living where we live currently, I have felt immense peace and calm amongst the trees and nature. For some people watching and dealing with trees falling may seem stressful or like a burden, mainly when those same trees cause you to be without electricity. Having that “dead” tree sitting in your front yard may be an eye soar for those people as well. But for me, these fallen trees have taught me so much, even while being without electricity. Sitting on my front porch and gazing at the remains of the fallen tree reminds me of life’s preciousness.

Let’s start with the magnitude and strength of a tree vs. the magnitude and power of mother nature, mainly wind. If you ever had to cut down a tree or came into an encounter with a tree stump, then you know just how massive and strong the roots of a tree are. We are talking about roots that go far beyond the ground’s surface. You know that you can’t simply dig up a tree stump. It takes special equipment and manpower to uproot the roots of a tree and its stump. This is why you will often see tree stumps in people’s yards. Knowing this information and the magnitude of a tree, seeing mother nature take a deep breath, blow down the entire tree, and uproot its roots is a powerful sight. You realize that no matter how strong something may be, how deep its roots may run, or how powerful it may appear, there is always something strong enough to bring it down. Realizing this makes it easier for me to accept my weak moments. It makes me understand that even the strong fall, sometimes the Universe will blow just the right amount of wind to bring me down to my knees.

But falling isn’t always bad, having your roots uprooted isn’t always harmful, and what feels like dying isn’t always death. The falling of this tree impacted my life in more ways than one. For starters, we were without power. Being without power for an extended period made us realize how grateful we are for electricity and the sources that provide it. So much of our life relies on this one thing considered a privilege, not a right. In 2023 it’s hard to believe that so many people live day to day without electricity and power. As someone privileged to have access to electricity, it’s easy to take it for granted. I willy-nilly flip on light switches and expect that flip to provide light. I wake up every morning knowing that I can make a hot cup of coffee with just a push of a button and enjoy a hot breakfast with the turn of a knob. I am not concerned or worried about the fluctuation of temperatures in the weather because I have confidence that with a few clicks, I can adjust the temperatures in my home to provide me with the perfect comfort. The tree falling and taking away that privilege allowed me to pause and realize this privilege could be taken away. This is a luxury that I shouldn’t take for granted. It made me appreciate the importance of that flip, turn, push, and click. While the tree may not realize how falling impacted me, it did. This awareness made me realize that I have no idea when my moments of failure or weakness may affect those in my life or around me. Sometimes my falling isn’t meant just for me but for someone else. We are all interconnected and intertwined even when we aren’t aware.

So to the age-old question, if a tree falls and no one is around to hear it did it make a sound? The answer is yes. Its sound is the impact it leaves from the fall. While those miles away from us didn’t hear the tree fall, they were impacted by its fall the same as I was. You don’t have to hear the sound to feel the sound.

When we initially saw this massive tree lying directly in front of our house, our first instinct was to have it removed. But then, a wave of appreciation and beauty took over me. The veil of society was removed from my eyes, and I could see something beautiful and magnificent. The massiveness of this tree and its roots were breathtaking. Watching my kids climb up and down the tree was humbling. We quickly realized we would use the broken limbs as firewood for our family bonfires. The kids could try their skills at building a log cabin. They could spend hours climbing up and down the tree. The tree could provide shade and protection to the small animals seen and unseen. My husband could teach the kids woodworking skills and provide them with workshops. They could learn an invaluable skill that could never be taken away. This tree’s life wasn’t over; it was beginning in a new form.

We have since had several bonfires using the bark and limbs of this tree. As we watch the fire burn, feel the comfort of its warmth, fill our bellies with roasted marshmallows and hotdogs, and share stories and songs, I am reminded that death isn’t always the end. In the breeze of the wind, I can hear the tree saying I am now fire, more substantial than I was as a tree. I could take down hundreds of trees like myself with just one breeze from the wind. But together, the wind and I bring your family joy and comfort; I am content.

I have watched my kids begin building a little log cabin. As I sit on the porch and watch them carry tree branches and stack them just so, in the breeze of the wind, I can hear the tree whisper, I am now a child’s toy and shelter for their imagination, more than I could have ever been before standing as just a tree. My heart smiles.

I received one of the best gifts from my husband and children. A side table they built from the bark of this tree. I was amazed and thrilled as I took in the beauty of the tree that is now my side table. I could see the tree smiling in the tree’s rings as it whispered, I am now a family heirloom, a treasure that will live for generations and generations to come. I will travel places, see things, and carry secrets and stories I would have never seen or heard as a tree. My heart is filled with love. As I enjoy my morning cup of coffee and sit next to this table, I will be reminded there is beauty and newness in being uprooted and even falling. We can reinvent ourselves into something greater and more powerful than we ever imagined. Allowing ourselves to surrender and let the universe take us where we need to go opens the door to possibilities we never knew existed.

As I admire the beauty of the trees that remain standing and those that have fallen, I am grateful for the protection those that remain standing provide me and the opportunity those that have fallen offer me. I recognize there is beauty in both.