Tree on the cliff…

The tree that grows upon the rocky cliff is the symbol of perseverance, determination, and persistence.

Some bird might have dropped the seed of the tree while resting on the cliff or wind must have carried it there. Anyway, the seed did not choose the location on its own. The choice was made for it.

When the rain came it germinated, put out its roots and started growing. Small leaves sprouted and started making food for it to grow. But on the mountain top, soil, water, and minerals necessary for growth were scarce. The soil was not very fertile and water was not easily available.

The plant used the soil particles brought by wind, water drops brought by the occasional rain and minerals and nutrients from the bird droppings and the waste left by other animals.

Since the resources were very limited it didn’t grow very fast or very big. It spent more energy on survival and focused more on establishing itself on the cliff among the rocks—in a hostile environment. It sent its roots deep and far in search of water and for purchase so that wind would not blow it away.

Growing and spreading through granite is very difficult, but it tried and eventually succeeded. Its search for water sometimes, no many times, ended in failure. But the plant didn’t consider those efforts as waste. Roots that could not find water helped in anchoring the plant strongly. When luck favored, some roots found a water reservoir trapped in the rocks. It gave the plant materials needed to make food. Some of it was consumed for growth, some of it was stored for the dry season.

The plant too had ambitions to grow big like other trees. But it knew that its smaller size was it its strength. If it had grown big and tall, it would have fallen as it wouldn’t have had enough strength and anchorage to battle the strong winds it had to face on the cliff every day.

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