On birches, the unknown & week 7 of 52

living the mystery

What if a little mystery isn’t a bad thing?

Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer,"

- Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters To A Young Poet

After reading The Hidden Life of Trees, I’ll never look at birches the same. In the book, Peter Wohlleben shares that birches—who love full access to the sun—prefer to be no more than three feet from their neighbors. No matter the size or shape of the birch, they do not compete for resources.

Instead, families of trees work in harmony so they can all photosynthesize at the same rate, which is only possible because they share sugars and other nutrients through their roots. When you cut down a birch to give another more light, the standing trees will not accept this. They will continue to feed the stump.

There are few things I enjoy more than walking in the small park near my house. Daily, I take time to appreciate the trees or wrangle their craziness beneath caponies. From the vivid fall leaves to snow-dusted winters to the buds of spring and summer’s proliferation of green, my park brings me peace.

Part of the reason is because nature holds so much mystery. It can be beautiful and brutal, much like humans, but what seems to rule, ultimately, is a sense of greater harmony.

To know that a birch will not accept the loss of its counterpart brings something new but no less mysterious to the way I see the trees. Do I need to know more facts about birch? Maybe. Maybe I can study how they handle predators and their strategic growing cycles, but knowing just a little goes a long way.

Insight into nature without claiming all-out expertise can be a beautiful thing. I know that the birch, as an analogy, is lovely. I also know that birches may compete with other species for light, so I’ll stick with this part of the story.

What I loved about this book is that Wohlleben, an expert on his topic, maintains his sense of wonder because he understands that there’s always more to the story. Revelations are just thin layers of insight when it comes to something so vast.

The mystery of natural patterns keeps us humble and present. So my focus this week is on living the mystery. After all, unknowing is not always about ignorance. When met with reverence, allowing the mystery is quite beautiful. And it’s often more honest.

So let’s explore…

Writing prompt(s):

1. Write a story about a natural phenomenon that has always interested you. Do so with no more than light research. Let the mystery drive the story forward, maybe even let it lead the way.

2. Write a story about the struggle between maintaining mutual support and independence. Which will prevail, and what is the outcome?

AYTL prompt: Take this week to focus on what you don’t know and appreciate that. Allow yourself to be mystified and explore the beauty of that and why it matters.

Learn more about the AYTL experiment here.