Yesterday, I was talking about the design of our garden with my housemate Stacy, the Quaker. There is a big prune tree in my yard that died in the last year from over-watering. It was an old tree with years of neglect apparent in how its branches were gnarled into each other. It was a tree that gave me courage that even disorderly things were part of nature and could thrive, and I rather liked its imperfections. But now I had been spending time thinking about how I could remove it and its roots from my yard.
When I pointed out the dead tree to Stacy and how it needed to be removed, Stacy, being the Peace Corp serving environmental educator and ecologist she was, said to me this: "You know, even dead things have a place in nature. Mother Earth knows best. Look at the tree. Moss is starting to grow on it, and the bacteria are starting to break down the branches, making it hospitable to other beings. The insects and birds rely on dead trees for shelter, and THEY will enjoy this tree. EVERYTHING has its place in nature. Humans think we know best, but we don't. Mother Earth knows best, and we should trust her."
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