I came across an old tree on an outing,
In the fall, with leaves gently falling,
Yet it stood, firmly rooted in being,
Untethered from all the time passing.
***
I stumbled upon this tree in front of a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. It was truly a serendipitous encounter, and I was in awe of its majestic presence. Upon closer examination, I noticed some cryptic messages nearby, which I then had AI help decipher. What it uncovered was quite fascinating:
“Ideas need to breathe, just like trees need air.”
“Do buildings bless us, or do we bless the buildings?”
“Our concept of the future is shaped by the questions we ask of the present.”
Interesting, don’t you think?
As an aspiring author, I definitely resonate with the first line. Ideas do need space to breathe—just like us, and just like trees.
The second one made me pause. My answer? Yes and no. It really depends. Sometimes, a space holds us—when we need time to process, when we need to feel safe or grounded. Like our own room or home. And then, when we’re feeling better, we take care of that space. We clean it. We decorate it. It becomes a reciprocal relationship. And what’s most beautiful to me is this: whether it’s a man-made structure or a tree in nature, the space doesn’t judge us. We simply co-exist.
The last line also got me thinking. As a counsellor, I hold deep respect for the power of a good question. Often, my role is to ask meaningful, thought-provoking questions to help clients move forward—toward a life aligned with their values. It humbles me to realize how much our future is shaped not just by our actions, but by the very questions we ask ourselves in the present.