A Final Tree Hug

A big city good-bye

City noise echoed through the skyscraper canyons. There were honking horns and other traffic noise. There was the sound of distant jackhammers and other construction noise. There was human noise. The prevailing din was loud and persistent. The concrete and asphalt and tall buildings seemed to be radiating a hum; a hum that to Craig was now dissonant and not pleasant to be in the middle of — even though that hum was one of the things that first drew him to the city years before.

Craig had grown up living in cities. That’s what he knew. His aspirations growing up were basically to move to a city that was even bigger than the one he was currently in — and then to a bigger one and another bigger one.

But that had all suddenly changed. As Craig walked down the busy city street towards the small city park he was filled to the brim with excitement. He had reached full saturation with the city vibes and had made a conscious decision to put them behind him. He was now headed towards the very opposite end of the spectrum.

He was moving to the country.

On the way to the park Craig was carrying a duffel bag, the contents of which represented everything he owned. That is how easy it was for Craig to finally leave the city. He was packed in an hour. There were many times when he almost did it but didn’t. He packed many times only to unpack.

But this time he was really doing it!

Craig looked up and around at everything as though to imprint it all on his memory. He smelled those city smells and luxuriated in those city sounds one last time. Very soon he would no longer hear all that city noise — except perhaps in his head.

Crossing a busy street, Craig finally made it to the park and he proceeded directly to a certain oak tree near the center of the park. The tree was one of the oldest and largest of the few trees in the park.

Reaching the tree, Craig set his duffel bag on the ground then walked up to the tree and hugged it with an unabashed intensity. His arms could not reach all the way around the trunk of the tree just as when he was a toddler his arms could not reach all the way around his mother. Craig hugged that tree with a love that was pure.

And then, with his cheek firmly pressed against the tree trunk, Craig began silently talking to the tree:

I have come to say good-bye. After this hug I will never see you again. I am moving to the country. I bet you wish you could come. I don’t know how you put up with these city vibes and all the pollution.

You have been a supreme friend to me. I will always remember the times I sat at your base with my back to your trunk while I read or wrote or just enjoyed the little bit of nature in the city. I will remember all our many hugs as we gave energy to each other.

Very soon I will be way out in the middle of nature. There will be so many trees to hug and I will try to hug them all. But I will still think of you. I will always remember you.

Craig disengaged and stepped back from the tree. He placed the palm of his right hand on the tree trunk. He could feel the tree’s heart beat.

He then looked straight up into the many branches of the tree. The leaves rustled in the wind. Then he looked down at the ground where several of the tree’s roots protruded from the ground.

Looking back at the trunk of the tree Craig smiled and a lone tear fell down his cheek. To the tree he said, “I love you. And thank you.”

Craig then looked at his watch and realized that he was about to be late. Throwing his duffel bag over his shoulder, he touched the tree one more time then turned to walk to the bus terminal. Before crossing the street to leave the park he turned around one last time to look at the tree. A deep sadness enveloped him as he realized that he was looking at the tree for the last time.

At the bus terminal Craig barely had time to buy a ticket and board the bus before it headed out of town. Just before stepping up onto the bus he looked upward at all the skyscrapers and he took one last whiff of city air and gave one last listening to all that city noise. There was a heavy sadness that Craig felt but as he stepped up onto the bus an equally heavy excitement began taking over.

Life was in the very process of changing. He was experiencing it directly and it felt powerful. Craig was tingling with joy.

The bus pulled out of the terminal and drove around a few blocks before reaching the highway. To Craig’s delight he realized that the bus was suddenly driving past the park where he hugged the tree. He thought that he had looked at that tree for the last time but now, thanks to the bus’ circuitous route, he was getting one more chance to look at the tree and send it love. From his window seat on the bus, Craig stared at that tree until it was out of sight.

It was a moment he would never forget.

Copyright by White Feather. All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction. All My Stuff In One Place

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