Things Fall Down: How I Learned To Embrace Fallen Trees

Life lessons from nature

When I moved to Pasco County, a rural tract north of Tampa, in 2018, I was coming from a 900-square-foot apartment in urban Fort Lauderdale. At the time, I was enamored by the property’s abundance of large, aged hardwood trees. They were everywhere, and they were beautiful. They provided ample protection from the brutal Florida sun. The trees were peaceful, and I loved to sit on my porch and gaze at them. I was so naive.

It didn’t take long for me to learn a hard lesson. Trees fall down. Everyone knows that. But coming from an urban living environment, you never really saw trees on their side except for after a powerful storm, like a hurricane. The carefully manicured trees lining my apartment parking lot or the ones dotting the median of the turnpike never fell over. While I knew that trees falling over was a possibility, I never thought it was likely to happen. Trees are strong. They can live for decades or even centuries. I was so naive.

Trees fall down often. I have had a tree fall down once a year since I moved in. Sometimes twice a year. The sound of a tree falling down is frightening. It is loud, and it causes the ground to shake. It is unmistakable. Now, every time I hear that sound, I groan and shuffle outside to see what the damage is. These trees…