A Matter of Opinion

This morning I went to my favorite spot in all of Grants, the Riverwalk. I took my camera and a small bag of bread crumbs to feed my feathered friends swimming in the water. Then I began to look around to see what I could see. As often happens early on a Sunday morning I was the only human there.

There was a slight wind which made walking around the park very comfortable. I have always been strongly fascinated by the trees along the path. I have in the past taken many photos of them. My very favorite are the willow trees. I took a few new photos and posted one I liked on Facebook to share with my friends. The response was favorable. Many others shared my opinion of the beautiful willow tree. They saw, as I did, the grace and freedom of this magnificent offering of the creator’s talent.

The photo reminded me of the now famous quote from a Barbara Walters interview in 1989. Responding to a statement made by Katherine Hepburn, she asked, “If you were a tree what kind would you be?” The answer Miss Hepburn gave was an oak, neither wanted to be a weeping willow. I believe they considered it frail.

I strongly disagree! As I stood observing how the branches of the willow move with the wind I realized that if I were a tree I would want to be one of them. They have strong roots soundly planted in the soil yet their branches do not resist the weather. They freely accept what is and move with it. What a great example of the way we humans were created to be.

Everything is just a matter of opinion, but I would like to be a willow tree. Below is one of my favorite photos of my favorite tree.