I'm not sure if this is the correct place to put this, but I felt like sharing this story this the nexus.


When I was growing up in the 70s, there was a group of trees down the street that my brother and I used to like to play in. We brought our toy trucks and sat in the depression in the middle of a circle of these wise old souls. There were old blue glass bottles and small flasks that somebody had placed around the roots and soil in the circle giving it a mystic, special feeling.

I remember that the soil was rich and dark as we ran our trucks around, up and down the trunk and roots of the great trees. I spent many days admiring the trees there; the way their leaves split into little leaflets and felt so tickle-y on my face. The seed pods, with their black shining jewels attached by a little thread to the dried exterior.

I remember the way the bark smelled when I picked up a piece and split it in half. The red dusty threads pulled apart as I held it to my face and inhaled deeply. It was as if the tree was calling to me, filling my mind with visions and ideas I was far too young to grasp, yet swirled in the back of my mind. I can still see its deep color in my memory, after all these years.

We always had a great time playing there. It was a very creative and imaginative place for us. I have many fond memories of adventures that only children could invent while these trees acted as the backdrop and setting for our travels. It was a special place and time for me.

It was a little funny to learn as an adult what these trees really were and the reason they seemed to have such an ancient feeling of wisdom and truth. They were truly our friends and guardians while we were growing up. My brother might have been too young to remember them. I should ask him some day.

"Seed pods, leaflets". Were they mimosa trees? I was fortunate to grow up in an area abundant in trees. A park near my home was a usual haunt as we came of age. Spent many hours there, sober and under the influence of MJ, beer and the occasional blotter. Spent some time recently in that park under canopy of Oaks that have matured bigly in the 50 years since they were planted. The nostalgia was palpable.

Peace

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they were mimosa. I was very young, but the trees really made an impression on me that I didn't remember until a few years ago. After learning about extraction and ordering my first bark, the sight and smell of the item that arrived sent me back in time before I even pulled out a beaker. These memories came rushing back, the image of leaves, the feeling of them on my face, the smell and color of the trunk bark, the way the place felt so special with bigger meaning even though they were just tress to me at the time.

I wish they were still there. It would be amazing to get to go back and find them. Thank them for helping to set me on the right path so long ago. Thanks for reading. Peace and love back to you!

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing. (I have a little tear )

nice writing - enjoyed reading it