05/13/2026
I learned a lesson in resilience today from a little tree in my backyard. 🌱
These two trees were planted at the same time in the fall of 2019.
One grew into a beautiful shade tree — over 20 feet tall now with a thick, strong trunk. The other? It's so small I had to circle it so you could see it was there. But… life was much harder for that little tree.
In the winter of 2021, two years after I planted them, we had a 5 day ice storm — locally known as “Snowmageddon” — the little tree was severely damaged. The bark fell off, and it appeared to die completely. I cut it all the way down to the ground.
But months later, tiny shoots appeared at the roots.
I nurtured it back to life… until it was accidentally damaged again by a w**d eater and attacked by bugs. Once again, it “died.”
The next spring, new growth appeared a foot away from the original trunk. Again, I cared for it, pruned it, watered it, and watched it slowly grow.
Meanwhile, the other tree kept getting taller, fuller, and stronger.
Then came another setback.
The little tree had grown too close to the firepit walkway, so earlier this spring we carefully transplanted it to a better location. But the move shocked it badly. Every leaf turned brown. Every branch looked lifeless.
For the third time… it seemed dead.
I watered it faithfully for weeks, but eventually I gave up hope. I even started shopping for a replacement tree.
Then today, while working in the yard, I happened to glance over at it from across the lawn. I thought I saw green.
Sure enough… every branch was covered in fresh new growth.
Alive again.
Thriving again.
I laughed and called my husband outside because I could hardly believe it. I felt like Dr. Frankenstein in the backyard yelling, “It’s alive!” 😂
And standing there, I realized why this little tree moved me so deeply.
Because I’ve felt a lot like that tree lately.
Since retiring a year and a half ago, I’ve been trying to reinvent myself — building a new business, pouring in time, energy, hope, and money with far slower progress than I imagined. Lately, I’ve questioned whether I should keep going at all.
It’s easy to compare yourself to others who seem taller, stronger, more successful, and further ahead.
But this little tree reminded me of something important:
Resilience matters more than comparison.
This tree never worried about the bigger tree beside it. It simply kept growing back… over and over again… no matter what knocked it down.
Even when I gave up on it, it didn’t give up on itself.
And maybe that’s the lesson for all of us in this season of life.
Retirement, reinvention, loss, change, disappointment — these things can knock us down to the roots. But new growth is still possible.
Sometimes strength doesn’t look tall and impressive.
Sometimes strength looks like simply beginning again. 💚
