I have an apple tree in my yard that doesn’t seem to be doing very well. I planted it three years ago. In the second year we got a couple of apples (or the birds did). Last year we had 6 or 8 apples, but some of them were oddly small. This year it appeared it was not going to bloom at all. All the other plants and trees were blooming and leafing, but this one still looked bare. I thought about digging it up or cutting it down, but I decided to give it one more year.
I had pruned it back substantially last fall, but I found it had one main branch that seemed diseased and might even have some bugs in it. I cut that off and dug a trench around the base of the tree. I made repairs to the drip system and increased the water doing to it. I fertilized and medicated the tree.
After a few days I saw some signs of life. I continued to water and fertilize and checked the tree every day. I had a friend come by and look at. He told me it might come back and that I was doing the right things. So I kept on, hoping it would recover and bare fruit, if not this year, maybe next year.
After about a week I had new leaves. I’m not sure the tree will be at full health this year, but it is growing and its health is improving. If I continue to take care of it and water and fertilize it, I will get apples, and probably more than I had before.
My little tree is an analogy for just about everything right now. The economy. Our individual financial situation. Jobs. Our mental health, both individually and collectively.
Truth be told, hope is more powerful than fear and faith is stronger than doubt. Find something to hope in. Grab onto something to look forward to. Cultivate it. Care for it. Your hope will grow if your nurture it. Like anxiety grows and intensifies when we focus on it, so does hope. Think good thoughts. Do things that keep you motivated and hopeful. Communicate with friends and loved ones. Talk about the future. We can do this for a little while longer.
