Wild Plum – Finding a Balance of Sour and Sweet
Photos by Pam Kelley © Genesis+Art
Cave Creek Glade Nature Preserve
Johnson County, Illinois
Cave Creek introduced me to a new tree this fall: American Wild Plum (Prunus americana). I was crunching through the woods, keeping close watch on the ground for snakes, and spotted a beautiful ruby-colored fruit. Then another and another. I looked up for the source and was surprised to find a scrawny tree at the epicenter of the gifts. Spare of leaf and limb, damaged bark, bent trunk, branches thorny and disfigured, this was a tree so frail I had a hard time seeing it as alive, much less as the creator of fruit. Despite its age and vulnerability, there it stood through the freeze and burn of 2020, coming to an understanding with the diseases and insects that wanted to take it down.
Time takes its toll on all of us, plant or animal. I woke up to the dimming light of the fall equinox this morning, taking the passage of time quite personally. I felt I’d aged overnight. My skin looked more textured, my hair seemed thinner, my muscles needed some prodding. And worst of all, my heart hurt from the loss of role models and mentors this year. I was a mess.
Like the wild plum tree, I feel the pull of both the light and darkness of the fall equinox. My patience wears thin, like the bark on that tree. My words can be sharp, like those thorns. I’m scarred and weathered. Sour and sweet. Tough and tenacious. Tired and giving what I can.
Time doesn’t diminish the tree’s purpose to share sweet vibrant fruit with the rest of the forest. My pockets were full of wild plums because I met and spent a little time getting to know that unassuming tree.
I choose the wild plum as my mentor today, the day of the fall equinox. She says: Stay strong. Stay sharp. Keep on growing. Keep on creating. Know your purpose. Reach for the light.
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