Our Lil Maple Tree

Last year we adopted a pair of maple trees ~ or maybe I should say that they were the targets of a rescue mission operation. They were living in a vastly overpopulated grove of trees and by transplanting them to our yard we gave them a second chance at starting over again with a longer life expectancy. Needless to say I have been watching the trees closely to see if they would survive their first NY winter without the protection of other larger trees around them. 

Letting mother nature take it's course has been difficult for me. I kept wanting to cover up the trees to shelter them from the harsh winter ice and snow storms. With each passing winter day I kept preparing myself to see one or both of the sappling broken in two or uprooted ~ but thankfully this never happened. Now that spring is here I waited with great expectation to see which tree would grow leaves first. 

One of the trees I am more attached to ~ you see ~ this particular tree is about a foot shorter than the other one. Maybe she's the runt of the forest. Regardless of her size, she sprouted leaves before the taller, healthier looking tree! She's a fighter for sure and this has reminded me that just because the outside might look smaller it doesn't indicate that everything is going according to plan on the inside ~ sigh ~ Do you hear a parable coming????

Working out in the backyard this weekend I was reminded that weeds grow like crazy as soon as the weather is warmer and they will completely destroy any healthy plants in their path. I spent about two hours on my hands and knees uprooting dandelions. I was so focused on the task at hand that I forgot to put on gloves. About an hour later, the seering pain in the palm of my hand nudged me to go ahead and put on the gloves to avoid further blistering! Whenever I choose to purge something unhealthy out of my life, whatever I am removing will fight back with the power of a thousand lions. Duly noted!

So back to the parable of my favorite maple tree ~ she needs a strong, hearty name, don't you think? Perhaps Eowen ~ As I look back over my Chiari journey I have often felt a bit like the tree weathering harsh weather. No one else has been able to 'share the load' ~ shout out to Samwise Gamgee ~ This path that I have endured is mine alone and my burden to bear. Although I have many supportive friends out there ~ especially you fellow 'brain tails' ~ it's up to me to stand tall, press on and encourage others who are somewhere along the winding road on their Chiari journey. 

The absence of me in the blogging world hasn't been because my symptoms have returned. Truth be known I am feeling really great and only have an occasional pressure Chiari headache, but compared to all the symptoms I had prior to brain surgery ~ I have nothing to complain about. I still feel like I am coming out of a very long coma ~ seeing life through new eyes again ~ remembering what it feels like to feel alive again. For those of you Chiarian's out there who are paralyzed with fear with even the thought of brain surgery ~ know that from my perspective, the surgery absolutely works. My quality of life has been restored to almost 95%. There is always hope ~ dig deep and find your courage and draw strength from those of us who have gone before you.