The Stick that Stuck

Last week I wanted to write an article about a stick but I got, well… stuck. 

There’s a very long stick stuck in a tree in my backyard. It’s gotta be about 6 feet long. This stick fell from the top of a tree and instead of landing on the ground, another branch caught it, suspending it 30 feet in the air.

This was 3 years ago. 

When this stick initially got stuck, we thought a good gust of wind would knock it down. We waited. 

A thunderstorm rolled through. We rushed to the window to see if the stick would fall along with the rain. It didn’t. 

A 40 mph windstorm blew in. We thought the stick couldn’t withstand each gust. It did.

An ice storm coated everything in heavy ice. We watched as healthy branches fell from trees, expecting the stick to be next. It wasn’t. 

Initially, I wanted the stick to come down. It was an eye sore, hanging vertically in defiance of all the other tree branches. It was also a hazard, precariously perched high in the air. I was annoyed every time the stick bested whatever Mother Nature threw at it. 

But after 3 years of watching this stick literally weather every storm, I’m now rooting for it. 

I want to bring some of that stick energy into my life: finding a sturdy support system — shout out to the branch holding it up, and being resilient enough to remain steady among storms.

Last week I looked at our yard and, of course, saw the stick. I also noticed something new too: another stick hanging off of it. Now the stick that stuck has a smaller sticky companion. It’s becoming the stick version of Barrel of Monkeys. 

The stick that will remain hanging until the end of time with its new companion

Trees will fall, branches will break, but I’m certain this stick will stay until the end of time.

P.S. If you enjoyed this, share it with someone!

---

Thanks to

Karena

and

Emma Dorge

for sticking with me on this one.