Monday, February 17, 2014

Stand Like a Tree

A    L    O    H    A  !
" Even if I knew
 that tomorrow
 the world would 
go to pieces,
 I would still 
plant my apple tree. "

Martin Luther








" All theory, dear friend, 
is gray, 
but the 
golden tree of life 
springs ever green. "

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe











" Except during
 the nine months 
before he draws 
his first breath, 
no man 
manages his affairs
 as well as 
a tree does. "

George Bernard Shaw





" But though 
to the outer ear 
these trees are 
now silent, 
their songs never 
cease. "

John Muir






Banana "Trees" aren't. They are giant grasses!
" I looked up my family tree 
and found out 
I was the sap. "

Rodney Dangerfield

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Often,
what we THINK we know
is wrong.

Conventional wisdom holds
that aging
causes less productivity.

But a recent study
of old growth trees
has turned 
such assumptions
upside down.

 Scientists from 16 nations 

studied 673,046 individual trees  

of over 400 species 

on six continents finding:

   
As they get older and bigger

trees actually 

accelerate their growth!



"This finding contradicts 
the usual assumption 
that tree growth eventually declines 
as trees get older and bigger,
It also means that big, old trees 
are better
 at absorbing carbon 
from the atmosphere
 than has been 
commonly assumed.
"In human terms,
 it is as if our growth 
just keeps accelerating 
after adolescence, 
instead of slowing down. 
By that measure, 
humans could weigh 
half a ton by middle age,
 and well over a ton
 at retirement." 

 Nate Stephenson, 
lead author, forest ecologist 
US Geological Survey (USGS)

I know
that I am more able
than ever,
not perhaps
in weight lifting

or partying all night
but in living life
wisely, well
and contributing
to it.

Like You!

=^..^=
' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '
Thanks for visiting!
                   Warmly, cloudia





22 comments:

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Experience and knowledge can trump youth and strength in many a circumstance hey Cloudia :)

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Such stunning photographs of the trees, and particularly that close-up of the leaf. You are fully attuned to the beauty in your surroundings. But you wise.

Akelamalu said...

That's really interesting!

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful pictures as always, and the quote by Martin Luther, really good.

Charles Gramlich said...

I know my growth accelerated in late middle age. :)

Anonymous said...

I didn't know a banana was a grass. And gee, I feel pretty light-weight compared to a tree. Wow: an awning covering a palm tree?!
DrumMajor

Brian Miller said...

smiles...i love being proved wrong...and i would say i am def in the prime of my life as far as growth and learning...i am at the age i can appreciate it more.

aloha from va

TexWisGirl said...

'banana trees aren't.' you made me laugh - and thanks for the education. :)

Myrna R. said...

Hmmm. Well, sometimes I feel and look like I weigh almost a ton. Ha. I love learning this about trees. Makes me appreciate them even more as nature's gift to us.
Interesting about the banana "tree".
Have a good day Cloudia.

Teresa said...

I read something lately that much of the supposed forgetfulness of old age isn't always that. It's just that older people have so much more memories stored in their database that they need more time to access them (like a computer's hard drive spinning and spinning), which I guess is why I sometimes can't put my finger on the thing I know I know until midnight after I want to share it...

21 Wits said...

Aloha Cloudia! Such a loving and learning climb it's been today. I'd hate to think of a world without trees.

Indrani said...

Great captures.
Interesting info too.

Cloudia said...

I love you guys!

Thanks

Elephant's Child said...

How I love trees. And didn't realise quite how much until I went to Antarctica (which I also loved) and came down with a severe case of tree deprivation.
Gorgeous post. Again.

William Kendall said...

Muir's quote is very appropriate. A very wise, wise man. If only more people thought like him.

Luther's quote interests me. My paternal grandfather was the sort who figured there was no point planting a tree that he wouldn't see grow over time anyway. A cousin of my grandmother said that you plant the tree anyway, despite how long you might stay.

Cloudia said...

Thanks, You Two :-)

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

I learned something today !

Anonymous said...

Love that Luther quote - and the knowledge that trees are strong in old age!

magiceye said...

Heartening!

Namaste /\ from Mumbai
Aloha!

Empty Rucksack said...

Love the poem. Its beautiful.

Kay said...

I think I'm a little wiser. Experience does count. Hope you're having a great week, Cloudia.

Kay said...

By the way, I love that photo of the banyan (I think) tree trunk!