Alone with myself

The trees bend to caress me

The shade hugs my heart.

~Candy Polgar

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/afq4h36xwgez

When school ended in late June, our family would always head up north to our cottage. We'd stay for a couple of weeks and swim, hike, and enjoy all of the natural beauty. It was so peaceful to be outside savouring the fresh air and beautiful scenery. And I needed a break after a hectic year of Grade 5 schoolwork. I did okay in most of my subjects but I really didn't like science. It was so boring.

"OUCH!"

My brother and I got along most of the time. He was a couple years older than I was and we had our own group of friends. But when we went to the cottage, we tended to spend a lot of time together. We didn't want to be cooped up indoors the entire time so we tried to spend as much time in the woods as possible. We liked to kick the soccer ball around for fun. My brother thought he was a soccer superstar and started kicking the ball harder and harder. He kicked it so hard that it flew over my head and hit a tree. "Ouch!" Did I just hear someone say "Ouch"? Weird.

"Here's your ball. I'm covered in bark so thankfully it didn't hurt that bad." "Okay thanks tree." Wait. Thanks tree? Did that tree just talk to me? "You can talk?" "Only to you Lolly. Your family has been coming here for a long time. I remember seeing you run around as a little girl. You tried to climb onto my branches one time but you fell and hurt yourself. What impressed me the most was how respectful you were of the plants and animals that live here." I was speechless. "Lolly? Where are you? Time for lunch!" my brother yelled. Not sure what to say, I returned to the cottage with the ball. What just happened here?

I woke up early the next morning, skipped breakfast and headed back to see if there really was a talking tree in the woods. "Good Morning Lolly!" the tree said as I approached him. So I wasn't imagining things. He was an honest to goodness talking tree. I noticed a nest on one of his branches where three baby birds waited for their Mommy to bring them their breakfast. They were all so cute. I watched them eat while the tree closed his eyes and smiled. It was such a soothing sight to behold. Well it was until my annoying brother started yelling my name. "Oh oh! Looks like I have to go. I'll see you later Mr. Tree."

I ended up spending every chance I got with the tree that I had named "Oakley." We became fast friends and he introduced me to all of the animals that lived in the woods. "You see Lolly, all of nature is dependent upon one another. We can all live in harmony if we respect one another. Oh, and I'm more than just a tree. I provide wildlife with a place to live. I help you to breathe by keeping the air clean and providing oxygen. But I'm sure you learned all of that in science class." "Uh, yeah. Most importantly, you've provided me with a place where I can relax and just be myself Oakley."

Our time at the cottage seemed to just fly by as it was time to head home. I had learned so much from Oakley. As crazy as it may sound, I was kind of looking forward to going back to school so I could impress my teachers with all of the incredible information I had learned from that wise old tree. I ended up having a fun summer full of camping trips, swimming, and bike rides with my friends. We also returned to the cottage for Labour Day weekend so I got to hang out with Oakley and all of his amazing woodland friends.

FATHER HENNIPEN

ELEMENTARY

SCIENCE FAIR

When I returned to school that fall, I excelled in all of my subjects, even science. Heck, I even won the school's annual Science Fair. Yeah, I know. I'm just as surprised as you are. My summer with Oakley had really opened my eyes to the importance of science, the environment, and keeping the planet clean. I really didn't think much about it before but now I wanted to learn as much as I could about the world around me. I'm sure Oakley would be very proud of me. I was his prized pupil.