Unfolding
Six years ago, I had to make an important decision, quickly. I think I had about 30 seconds to do so. My kids were building a new deck and were asking if I wanted to leave or remove any of the ponga growing in the midst of it. I’d just finished changing the linen on the massage bed and as I walked out to the sitting room, I saw my next client was already waiting, thus I had no time to really think about this decision. There were two culprits here and l loved both of them. When I had bought the house, they were part of a thicket of slow-growing native trees. I had already removed the unsightly flax, leaving three ponga, two cabbage trees and two others that I’m not sure the name of. But right in the middle of where this deck was going, were two of the ponga, one about a metre high, the other a metre and a half, both flanking the ranch-slider doorway. They created a nice view from the sitting room, but obstructed the path in and out of it. Which did I desire more, the view or a clear entrance way? I chose the view. I figured it wouldn’t be long before the fronds were higher than the door and all that would then be in my way of walking in and out would be two long trunks. However, these trees were slower-growing than I anticipated, not helped by the dry summers or the fact that I prune any fronds that really get in the way. I would say they have only grown a few centimetres since the deck was built.
But I know I made the right decision, that busy day. Not only do these ponga help to create a soothing vista from the sitting room but they also provide great material for photographs. This is the deck that faces the west and at this time of year, with the new fronds unfolding, I am able to incorporate them into any sunset photos. I will include, in this blog, one I took last night.
Plus, because of the slow growth, I know if I had agreed to have them chopped down, it would take an incredibly long time to replace them, should I have changed my mind. And I would probably never have done so.
This is another example of listening to that voice deep within ourselves. When we do so, our lives flow. Sometimes it is more difficult to follow that voice than to ignore it but what I have found in life, is we seldom regret it when we do listen to that advice deep within ourselves.
Of course, there could come a time when I choose to cut down those ponga, but for now I know they are exactly where they belong.