1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,399 Hey, we're trying something new, a podcast called Thanks for being a part 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:07,160 of the conversation. A part of the conversation that you don't get to fall 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,519 witness to is my love for this forest in South Charlotte, North Carolina. 4 00:00:11,279 --> 00:00:14,160 In the nineteen nineties, I was the poet in the Forest. It was 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,440 a children's series that I pinned out. None of it would be possible if 6 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,320 it wasn't for this force where I presently stand right here in Charlotte. I 7 00:00:21,399 --> 00:00:24,359 talk about it and write about it so much that I thought it was time 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:29,320 that you get to be a part of what has been inspiring me since nineteen 9 00:00:29,399 --> 00:00:33,240 ninety two. Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. We're 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,960 back in the forest. I'm extremely guilty of this thing we're going to talk 11 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,240 about today, and so are millions, if not billions, of others. 12 00:00:41,119 --> 00:00:46,079 Tree stumps. You know, those moments where something had to be taken down 13 00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:50,479 or the wind took it down, and all that remains is a tree stump. 14 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,320 What's so fascinating about a tree stump, especially the ones I'm going to 15 00:00:54,359 --> 00:01:00,399 talk about today, is that they don't instantly deteriorate. The service reminds there 16 00:01:00,439 --> 00:01:04,359 was something that was once here, there was something here that provided for you. 17 00:01:06,439 --> 00:01:10,439 One such tree stump was a crab tree. It was with me for 18 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,799 several several years. And being uneducated like I usually am when it comes to 19 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,200 trees, because all I want to do is just plant trees on this beautiful 20 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:22,920 lay of land, is that crab trees require a certain amount of sunlight, 21 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,159 and they don't need umbrellas above them, nor do they need certain pines around 22 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:32,200 them, because they'll steal from the nutrients of the soil. But I had 23 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:36,079 to have this particular crab tree, and the way it came into my life 24 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:41,959 was because we had a big storm here in this forest that took down multiple 25 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,799 trees. My passion for these trees is like a father loving their child. 26 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,640 And when we lost all of those trees, I went on a Facebook. 27 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,519 I talked about it, and I allowed the world to know how broken my 28 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:59,280 heart was that I lost these trees that I cherished so much. So people 29 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,640 started sending me their trees. They started sending me seedlings, and the crab 30 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:07,400 tree was definitely one of them, and man, could it ever provide the 31 00:02:07,439 --> 00:02:14,360 most amazingly tart crab apples. And all I have today is this stump. 32 00:02:15,319 --> 00:02:16,719 Now. I could go in, I could dig it out, or I 33 00:02:16,759 --> 00:02:21,840 could shave it clear down to the ground. But no, there's a hope 34 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,599 in my heart thinking that it's going to re sprout. It's going to have 35 00:02:25,719 --> 00:02:30,159 limbs that are going to pop up. On the other side of the forest, 36 00:02:31,159 --> 00:02:35,800 opposite side of the crab tree is another tree stump. I'm standing beside 37 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,639 it right now. It stretched way up high in the sky and it served 38 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:44,680 as a ladder for raccoons. The raccoons would get into my house. I 39 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:49,599 would pay several thousand dollars to have the raccoons removed. Yeah, I love 40 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,800 my forest that much, but when you start losing that much, you have 41 00:02:52,879 --> 00:02:57,039 to rethink the plan. And so the people that took care of the raccoons 42 00:02:57,039 --> 00:03:00,520 said, you gotta get rid of that tree. So I said, cut 43 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,759 it down, but leave the stump, because I believe the tree will come 44 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,319 back to being green. And I'm standing beside it right now, and you 45 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:14,879 should see all the eaty bitty branches that are now growing. I've made an 46 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:17,919 agreement with this tree stump. I will let you survive. I will not 47 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,120 shave you down to the ground. But I'm gonna have to keep you pruned 48 00:03:22,599 --> 00:03:27,240 and me pruning trees. Oh my god, it took years for me to 49 00:03:27,319 --> 00:03:30,280 realize that you have to do that. In fact, it was a preacher 50 00:03:30,319 --> 00:03:32,439 that said that, because we had to prune our own personal lives. So 51 00:03:32,479 --> 00:03:36,439 when you learn how to prune a tree, you learn how to take better 52 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,919 care of yourself. But this tree stump has so much green on it right 53 00:03:39,919 --> 00:03:44,159 now. I keep waiting for the crab apple tree to get some green as 54 00:03:44,199 --> 00:03:46,680 well. And how about this pine over here, this white pine. It 55 00:03:46,719 --> 00:03:51,039 was one of the first seventeen hundred that was put into this forest in nineteen 56 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,759 ninety seven. Once again, my uneducated way, the umbrella above from the 57 00:03:54,800 --> 00:04:00,919 other trees and their limbs, it wasn't getting enough sunlight and white they need 58 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,879 a lot of sun. But I've got the stump, and the stump reminds 59 00:04:03,919 --> 00:04:10,000 me every day that I was once part of your life. So maybe that's 60 00:04:10,039 --> 00:04:14,120 a lesson that we need to learn here, is that instead of ignoring the 61 00:04:14,159 --> 00:04:16,279 stumps that are left in the ground, even in a natural forest, at 62 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,839 a forest preserve, in a park, because you know they'll do that in 63 00:04:19,879 --> 00:04:23,920 a park, they'll shave it down and everything that was once there in a 64 00:04:23,959 --> 00:04:28,000 city park is gone forever. But yet your imagination says, wasn't there a 65 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,680 tree there at one point in time. Don't remove the stump, share the 66 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,040 story. Thank you so much for being a part of this conversation.