Today is “World Story-Telling Day” and now more than ever, do we have an important responsibility to take important action on ensuring our world has a safe and healthy future. In the midst of a global pandemic with Covid-19, our generation has the opportunity to tell the story to our future children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, of how during this challenging time of human history, we did our part to ensure there was a future. I hope we get to share an inspiring story where we took care of one another (especially those that are most vulnerable).
If there is one story from my childhood that simply resonates with me the most during this time, it is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. It is a story about a very loving Tree that loves a little boy and just wants the boy to be happy. The Tree is able to witness this boy grow into a man and eventually see him into old age. The Tree offers everything it can throughout the boy’s life so that the boy can be happy: from its branches for the boy to swing on, its apples for him to sell, its wood to build a house, and event its trunk to be cut down for a boat. The boy, now a very old man near the end of his life, comes back to see the tree (now literally a tree stump). The Tree tells the boy that they no longer have branches to swing on, apples to eat, or even a trunk to climb. The old man says he is too old to play or do anything and that he feels very tired. Even then, the Tree invites the old man to sit on its stump. “And the Tree was happy.”
Why this book is important to me: to me the tree represents both my mom and dad. Throughout my entire life, my parents wanted to give me nothing but the best opportunities to be my best self and serve others in this world. They nurtured me to gain skills in martial arts, music, dancing, and they lit a spark and drive within me to succeed at anything I could set my mind on. They have done this through tremendous unconditional love, sacrifice, and faith in us as their children and wanted us simply to choose happiness along the way. All they wanted in turn, was for us to be happy. They were happiest when they were giving to their children.
In many ways, this book is excruciatingly sad because my dad is no longer alive and I cannot spend time with him anymore (just like in the book where the tree wanted nothing more than the boy to simply climb, swing, and eventually just sit on the tree trunk). The majority of my privileged life, if I am being truly authentic and honest with myself, I must come to terms that I have really taken my parents for granted. However, it is also a reminder and wake up call of the fleeting precious time that I still have with my mom. I simply want to spend quality time together being happy. Both Paula (my wife) and I want to pass down the value of spending quality family bonding time with our daughter Lena while we still have the opportunity to do so. There is no better time like the present given the current state of our world to ‘give back’ to those who need it most, our most vulnerable (our elderly parents, grandparents, neighbours, citizens, our immuno-compromised, and our future generation of children).
Let’s all do our part because our world is calling us to service: be The Giving Tree to those in need.
