The County is building its emergency dispatch center in a field directly across from my studio. The first step in the process was to clear out a stand of big old black locust trees–most of whom were either dead or ailing. (Click on the image to enlarge.) Yet, as these strange, gnarled creatures were coming down, I realized how attached I’d become to them over the last 5 years. It was as if we had become friends.

And that started me thinking about what a curious thing friendship is. It’s like the locust trees: I didn’t seek them out; they just appeared. Over time, they inhabited a corner of my life, and, by doing that, made me feel just a bit more at home in the world. Now, for whatever reason, they’re gone, and I’m at a bit of a loss about what to do without them.

People just show up, And suddenly, they are making you laugh, or introducing you to new parts of the universe. Then, sometimes, they disappear. You mean to stay in touch. But life often doesn’t move that way. And like the locust trees, they’re just gone. It’s a mystery and a wonder.

I’m sure the emergency dispatch center will be a good thing for us all. But in some small way, I’ll always wonder what else I could have learned from those locust trees.

So, to whomever this applies to in your own life: keep in touch!