The Tree of Life and Friends

Some people in our lives make us happy simply for having crossed paths with us by chance.

Some travel along that path by our side, seeing many moons pass. And others are barely with us for a single step. We call all of them friends, and there are many kinds of them.

Let’s look at each one of our friends as a leaf on a tree. The first one that blooms is our father friend and mother friend, who show us what life is. Then brother and sister friends come along, with which we share our space so they may bloom and grow as we have.

Further on, we meet a whole family of leaves, who we respect and have good wishes for.

But destiny introduces us to other friends, which we didn’t know would cross our path. We call many of them friends of the soul or best friends. They are sincere and true. They know when we’re not okay, and they know what makes us happy.

And sometimes one of those friends of the soul wedges into our heart, and they become an enamored friend. They bring a twinkle to our eye, music to our ears and a skip to our step.

However, there are always certain friends that only last for a little while, maybe only for the summer break or a few days or hours. They tend to bring many smiles to our face, at least while they stick around.

Speaking of sticking around, we can’t forget long distance friends. Those who are found all the way out on the tips of the branches, and when the wind blows, you can always see them through the other leaves.

Time goes on, summer ends, fall draws near, and we lose some of our leaves. New ones blossom in a new summer, and some remain for many seasons. But what makes us happiest of all is that those who have fallen still remain close by, nurturing our roots with joy. They are the memories of the wonderful moments shared when they crossed our path.

I wish you, leaf of my tree, peace, love, health, luck and prosperity. Today and always… Simply because each person that comes into our lives is unique. They always leave a bit of themselves behind and take a piece of us with them.

Some will take a lot, but none will cross your path without contributing something.

This is the biggest responsibility we have in life, and it’s the clearest proof that two souls don’t just cross by chance.

This lovely tale, “The Tree of Friends” by the great Jorge Luis Borges, perfectly illustrates how relationships happen in our tree of life. Some of the leaves on a branch may fly off, but surely the branch will bloom with new leaves once again.

A friend is he who knows all of your flaws and loves you despite them. Maybe these are your friends of the soul and enamored friends, those we can call life companions. They are incredibly valuable, and it’s because of them that we’re always lush and colorful.

I think one of the biggest challenges of being a tree is defoliation. In other words, forcing your leaves to change color and fall in order to reap the harvest. Some leaves last our whole lives. Others fall off when it’s their time to do so. And others fall before autumn arrives. These are the most painful.

If one of them falls off our branches too soon, it can make us think we are ill, and they produce a deep sadness in our roots. But once a leaf withers, it means they’ve given you all of the beauty they had to offer, and it’s time to make room for new leaves in the spring.

It’s simple, as trees our biggest aspiration is to have lovely leaves and bear good fruit. To gather the most beautiful ones we can find, our biggest treasure. Our greatest responsibility is to remain vigorous, take root and grow. In short, to be symbols of love, health and prosperity.