Plum confused

Somewhere on the orchard hillside of Peters Hill, there is a plum tree that looks like it’s had a rough life. Am I equipped to make that assessment? Honestly, no. That’s just the sense I got looking at it and looking at this image. I don’t have the scientific background to assess the balance between the healing where a limb was severed and the encroaching growths on the surrounding bark.

Maybe this tree is healing with many long years ahead of it. I hope so. Or maybe it’s doomed to head to the chipper soon. It’s probably because I’m grappling with uncertainty myself that I notice it’s impossible to know what’s going to happen. My fantasy is that the tree has a level of equanimity that I strive for. But that’s just my imagination, looking for models and guides pretty much anywhere.

I do know that all we can be sure of is what’s happening in the present moment, and even that can be challenging. I comfort myself thinking that if I can build my awareness of the rightness of present time that all the rest can fall away, leaving less confusion and, hopefully, greater comfort. Easier said than done….