The Tree

I sit on my front porch this morning staring at the big tree in my front yard. Its thick trunk seemingly cemented into the earth as if it will be there until time ends or humans intervene. As I continue up from the trunk the bark is a smooth pale brown, with white spots due to years of abuse out in the elements of nature. It has four branches from the trunk that continue to reach for the cool crisp sky on this beautiful September morning. The four branches continue to branch into multiple smaller branches, until my eyes reach the thin ends covered with wide leaves with a greenish-yellow tint. The leaves standout so well with the sky in the back. The broad leaves themselves perfectly suited to what they evolved for. This being to carry out the process of transpiration, in which carbon dioxide is taken up by the plant and used to create oxygen, which is released into the environment. I have always loved how my knowledge of science can be used to describe and understand the natural processes of the world. As the sun is rising the light begins to hit the leaves, leaving them to take on a new lime green tint, with the leaves at the top casting a distinct shadow on the leaves below.

My first impressions of the tree are that it is healthy. From the anterior it looks big and well nourished. However I decided to take a closer look. As I approached I slowly made out little bits of bark that seemed beaten and weathered. I looked up at the leaves and noticed more and more with a yellowish glow. I doubt this to be fall, but in theory it could be. If anything my best guess would be that it is from the sweltering heat of the Texas sun. The tree seems to be hanging on its last leg, praying for the more moderate temperatures to come to breathe life again. However, this breathe will be short. The freezing temperatures of winter lay just around the corner to bring the yearly cycle of life to an end, only to meet a new beginning in March. All I can do for the tree is gaze on in amazement of the natural processes of Earth, and hope for the best.

9/12/19 Journal - Philadelphia

            Today I find myself in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a dental school interview at The University of Pennsylvania. I have never been here before, but quickly upon arriving I realized that Philadelphia has a rich and interesting history with regards to America and our fight for independence. I took the opportunity to go walking once I got to my hotel. Although it is a big city, I still found bits and pieces of nature that were beautiful in their own way. I stayed on 12^th and Market Street which is pretty central to downtown. I walked East to the old historical district where Independence Hall and the famous Liberty Bell Museum are located. It was only about a twenty-minute walk which was not bad at all considering the much milder temperatures here than in Texas right now. I rounded the last block and was met with a beautiful view of Independence Hall. It costs to tour the hall, but the Liberty Bell museum was free, so I opted to check that out. I wandered through the museum in awe of the history of the bell. I never realized it played so many roles in the different movements in the history of the U.S. It had served not only as a symbol of equality for our nation’s independence, but also in the anti-slavery movement, women’s rights movement, and civil rights movement. Today the bell is now even a symbol for equality in the LGBTQ community. After making it through the museum I decided to grab a coffee and some lunch somewhere outside to enjoy the weather. Next on the agenda was to walk to the steps run by Rocky Balboa in none other than the famous Rocky movies that I grew up watching. It was a rather long walk from the historical district to the Northwest location of the steps and statue, but it was well worth it. I was around five minutes from the steps when I looked up and noticed dark gray clouds approaching the city. I asked myself a question, “What would Rocky do?” So, I kept going. I made it to the steps and statue and pulled out my phone to snap a picture just as the rain started to hit. I was wearing khaki pants and a golf shirt, with no umbrella or rain jacket. The rain went from a drizzle to unleashing a flood, and I found myself soaking wet. I walked to the nearest shelter I could find… a Whole Foods that was about a two-mile walk. By the time I got there I was completely soaked head to toe. Just as I was about to stress and get mad, I started laughing. I realized that the worst worry I had in the moment was getting wet. There are people starving and without water around the world, and I was about to get upset by the mere inconvenience of some wet clothes. I smiled to myself and made myself a promise to always keep things in perspective. All in all, getting soaked was totally worth it to see the famous Rocky steps. The ever-unpredictable essence of nature finds its way to affect my life, even in the inner city of Philadelphia.

Throckmorton, Texas

This evening I find myself surrounded by friends and family, enjoying what I consider one of my favorite traditions. It is Labor Day weekend and that means it is opening day for dove season in Texas. I write this after already limiting out this morning, so now I am simply enjoying the camaraderie and just being outside. Throckmorton provides some of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen in Texas. The terrain is rocky and full of cacti and mesquite trees. This is in large contrast with the sky, which looks like an explosion of purple and pink. I find myself lost in the whipping clouds above, wondering how something so simple could be so beautiful. The birds stopped flying for the evening and left me to sit here in peace to pick apart the landscape. At about a two-hundred-yard distance I can make out a couple of young deer, but they are extremely hard to spot at this time in the evening. Their subtle brown coat makes for the perfect camouflage in this West Texas landscape. I watch them as they graze around a feeder, far away but still conscious of our every move. One of my family members shifted and the deer glanced right in our direction. Then in the blink of an eye the two deer were gone and all I was left to see is a couple white tails bobbing up and down through the brush, warning out position to other nearby deer and animals. I listen closely as I hear a dove let out their lonesome "nest call." About ten seconds later I hear from another distant tree the same "coo-OO-oo." Then I suddenly hear the furious flaps of wings behind me as a dove quickly gets up out of the thorny West Texas brush and into the sky. I watch it fly away, just making out some white stripes on the hind of its wings, indicating it is a white-wing. Slowly but surely, the sun creeps down below the rolling hills filled with dove, deer, hogs, and turkey. The evening hunt is over, but we will no doubt remember the beautiful scenery of Throckmorton as we make our way back to DFW tomorrow.