This afternoon Mark and I went to check out the trees that were planted on 2 acres of our property.  Right now, they look like thin sticks, some with bright orange plastic tape tied to them to mark their location.  Cypress in the wettest places, nuttall oak and other hardwoods in the "dry" places (which were extremely muddy, and the soil has a high clay content, which equals sticky).  About 530 baby trees were planted today.  The hope is that more than 50% survive.

It will take about 10 years to see much progress in the hardwoods, about 3 on the cypress, according to my husband.  That seems like such a long time to me.

Planting these trees reminds me of the importance of taking the long view.  Of getting my head out of today and its challenges and frustrations, and changing my lens so that it's not zoomed in so closely on the minutiae of life.  I need the panoramic view. 

For today, I'm grateful I got to experience that indescribable feeling of walking in a field, hearing birds chattering, soaking up the long-awaited sunshine, and feeling the magnitude of the universe.

Spring, I'm ready for your arrival.

Photo via Deep Fork Tree Farm.