Coffee Thoughts About A Tree

I found a new coffee spot to visit this week. 

As I was sipping on my coffee & contemplating about life – my mind was stuck on a recent incident that I am not too proud of. I kept replaying the scenario in my head and thinking about how it should have ideally gone. I couldn’t get out of that cycle, so I started studying the tree that was staring at me while I was trying to solve the unresolved. 

I was trying to understand what the tree had gone through to get where it is today. Believe it or not, this is not its natural habitat for the tree. Perhaps this was its natural habitat decades ago before concrete covered the landscape. But today, it stands outside of the multi-use building where one of my new favorite coffee spots lives, surrounded by tables, chairs, concrete, grates, and the squirrels that crawl around looking for scraps and nuts. Today, I would’ve preferred to sit indoors because it is cold out today, but the café was full and I was looking for some elbow room to enjoy my coffee.

When I started studying the tree, first I thought about the supply chain. It most likely came from a local nursery. Then I thought about how small it must’ve been when it was planted here.

I’m no arborist or plant scientist by any stretch of the imagination – but you can tell this tree has been here awhile. The bark is thick & cracked in a way that makes it look like an aerial view of a land with high peaks and low valleys. The high peaks are the nubs of the cutoff tree branches… and there are few up and down the tree. 

I began picturing what the tree would look like if the branches were never cutoff to fit its intended use. If the branches were still attached, I wouldn’t have been able to sit as close to the tree as possible to study its characteristics. That makes the tree more approachable. And approachability is important in this new environment for the tree. That is important. Then I wondered – is the purpose of the tree being here, is it so we can approach it? What is the intended use for it to be planted with all these concrete?

Looking at my surroundings, these trees are meant to provide cover from the sun for those sitting at these tables. The tree is not here so we can approach it and sit next to it. 

But it’s almost November & there are no leaves left on the branches. It’s also very sunny for this time of year, so around noon, people sitting here will not get shade from these trees – these trees will not be able to serve their intended purpose. I personally wouldn’t let that stop me from enjoying this place at noon. 

The tree lives here now, even when it is not serving its intended use. But today it had a different use. It allowed my curious mind to study it in a moment where my brain got stuck in a cycle. And it helped resolve my mind. 

It provided me a nice story to interrupt me from my circular thinking. 

Replaying a scenario in my head where I made a mistake that should’ve gone different – does not change the outcome of what happened. It only increases the internal pain from making a mistake. And it is a self-inflicted pain because I assume replaying the scenario helps me get better at handling life’s curveballs – I want to bat 1.000 against these curveballs – but that’s not realistic.

So, it’s better to focus on preparing myself the best I can for the next curveball…because there will be many more curveballs that life throws at me.

I don’t live where I was born or raised. My purpose for being here and my purpose for moving here are different. Similar to this tree – I cannot change my species…and like this tree, I have had to prune some branches to seem more approachable…but is seeming approachable part of my purpose?