Debra Franke writer/poet/photographer
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Hybrid of Nature: Growing Up Slowly

June 25, 2018
Hybrid of Nature: Growing Up Slowly

I was sixteen, going on twelve and twenty. I was loved by family and friends, and also had my share of teen angst: alone and lost in my own spirit, the way a bird thinks it’s ready to fly long before its wings have reached their feathery span.

That summer I worked at a tree farm near my house in the country. Nothing but miles of yellow and green patchy country fields, tall hay and corn, heat-sleepy cows, and long biking roads surrounded us. In my ‘going on twelve’ moments I made up silly song lyrics with my best friend while budding seedlings row after row after row. In my ‘going on twenty’ moments, I dreamed of years beyond this hot, dry field of young trees: finishing school, teaching, becoming a psychologist, travelling. On hot days, I dreamt of rainstorms and swimming, and frogs singing in small tree-sheltered ponds. On rainy days, I saturated my lungs with the fresh breeze that came swooping with new hope across the soil.

On this particular day that I remember so clearly with all of my senses (damp soil, rainy leaves, warm-golden-wheat-breeze, call of the cardinal and killdeer), I felt grown up for having my own budding knife and whetstone, for sharpening a blade that easily dulled from so much use, for gently cutting a slip into the base of a small seedling, for creating a new blend of tree, something I’d grown up thinking only God could do. At sixteen we were strong and proud, we felt powerful, we were sure we knew ourselves, and we were also very, very unsure.

One day I felt it, a new awareness of the gracefulness of my sharp knife sliding open the green seedling flesh, felt my hand’s precision, felt the birth of something tiny and almost significant. I was going on twelve and twenty, and completely naïve; I was a stranger to myself, and yet so familiar. Living those summers among those trees, the globe maples, the sugar maples, the poplars and oaks, I was becoming a resilient hybrid of the oh-so-many parts of me, the so-many experiences, the world wonderful and also, just plain not. A hybrid: a seedling putting down first roots in the earth on the rainiest of days, becoming sturdy in the wind that nearly tipped me over.

The world around me was growing up too, always more and less than I thought it could be: satisfying, exciting, disorienting, and disappointing.

Martin Luther said, “even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”

Do we ever really know who we are, or what we can count on? Are we who we have become, or are we just beginning?

Maybe I know more now than I knew then, but I definitely know less some days than ever. And who knows where I will be tomorrow, what kind of hybrid with the world, with my emotions, with my spiritual misunderstandings and creative findings and plain old seeking of more and right and better and hopeful.

I will keep becoming. I will still plant my apple tree. I will wait to see. I will look towards the rain and know I am still being planted.

maddy-baker-419403-unsplashPhotos by Sushobhan Bahai and  Maddy Baker.

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13 thoughts on “Hybrid of Nature: Growing Up Slowly”

  • musketmanshakespeare says:
    June 25, 2018 at 1:46 am

    Delightful introspection

    Reply
    • Away in Autumn says:
      June 25, 2018 at 6:55 pm

      Thank you so much for reading along, and glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  • Jennifer Stolte says:
    June 25, 2018 at 1:54 am

    I loved today’s post. Your words spoke to my heart and painted a picture for my mind’s eye. xo

    Reply
    • Away in Autumn says:
      June 25, 2018 at 6:56 pm

      I am so glad to hear that Jennifer! Thanks for stopping by and reading along, that means so much. I’m happy to hear the words and images spoke to you. I am still learning about what it means to be planted and to grow, and I am sure the mix of messiness and deep richness of the soil has a lot to do with it! 🙂

      Reply
  • Singledust says:
    June 25, 2018 at 1:56 am

    i loved this, thank you, and you are blooming where you have chosen to plant yourself. like plants we too get stronger as we grow.

    Reply
    • Away in Autumn says:
      June 25, 2018 at 6:55 pm

      thanks so much for your lovely words here Singledust. I am blessed that you stopped by and read my story, and you are absolutely right–strength comes in growth and transformation, just like seeds under the soil, coming into themselves.

      Reply
      • Singledust says:
        June 26, 2018 at 10:25 pm

        was my pleasure to read, i run a lot too, and have the same respect and awe of nature. love your narrative very much.

  • L Young says:
    June 25, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    you have been nominated!
    https://bellacapture.net/2018/06/25/liebster-award/

    Reply
    • Away in Autumn says:
      June 25, 2018 at 6:54 pm

      thank you, that is so very kind! Glad you are enjoying my stories.

      Reply
  • Rhonda Sittig says:
    June 26, 2018 at 10:40 pm

    Beautiful Debra. I find the older I get (66 now!). the moe unexpected life becomes. There are joys I didn’t anticipate and difficulties I had no idea would come. Thankful God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is my anchor in this turbulent life. Your posts always are so engaging Debra. Thank you fo making me think.

    Reply
  • Rhonda Sittig says:
    July 11, 2018 at 12:21 am

    Debra- so beautiful written and so many words that bring pictures to mind… So agree with you and growing and flourishing in the place where we are. And at 66, I know it’s never to late to grow, to continue… Love your posts. xo

    Reply
    • Away in Autumn says:
      July 11, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Thank you Rhonda… I agree it’s never too late to grow. So glad you enjoy these posts! xo

      Reply
      • Rhonda Sittig says:
        July 15, 2018 at 9:59 pm

        Always do Debra. xo

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About Me

I’m so glad you’re here. I’m a writer, poet, and creative, as well as dreamer, runner, and Librarian. I am an advocate for language, voice, and creative storytelling, and anyone facing mental illness, trauma, homelessness, and more. I have my MA (CW and Englist Lit) and my BA Honours in Psychology. I have been published in several Canadian literary magazines and I am working on completed two poetry manuscripts. Click here to find out more.

About Me

Writer/Poet/Creative, Photographer, Librarian, Dog Lover, Taco Enthusiast, and Advocate for those struggling with mental health, homelessness, trauma, and marginalization.

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Copyright © 2021 Debra Franke

Copyright © 2021 Debra Franke
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