The Little Olive Tree and Me

Chris Kenney
Guest Writer

It’s crazy to think, but I feel like a silly little olive tree represents so much in some strange way. Ever since you left, I’ve been watering it, even though it looked completely dead and gone. I would break off tiny branches to see if there was any hint of green inside, but all I found were brittle twigs dried all the way through, seemingly ready to disintegrate in my hand.

Every time I passed by, I’d give it a little shake, trying to mimic the wind and the struggles it will face in life, hoping it would somehow “wake up” and dig its roots in deeper. Not sure why, but I kept watering it, even though it looked beyond saving, so lifeless, so hopeless. 

Literal years passed with no signs of growth. Still, I watered it. Still, I shook it. Still, with each quick snap of a brittle branch, I held out hope for any glimmer of green. And yet… nothing

Then, just a few days ago, I noticed something…a tiny budding at the base of the tree. I couldn’t believe it. I thought, No way. I had been so close to letting it go and throwing it away so many times over the past two years. But something stopped me every time. Something kept me caring for it, checking in on it, even when it gave me nothing in return. No growth. No hope. Just silence.

But I still couldn’t let go. I still cared for it, even when it looked dead and gone. And now, suddenly…life. A tiny sign of resilience.

That happened just a few days before our call the other day. Even when things look hopeless, there can still be life and growth beneath the surface.

Well… Come to find out, olive trees can appear dormant or even dead during certain times of the year, especially when faced with stressors like drought (feeling unloved), extreme temperatures (arguing and stress), or nutrient deficiencies ( true connection). Yet, they are incredibly resilient and have the remarkable ability to “spark back to life” when conditions improve.

I think the moral of this story for me is that, even when something seems dead and lifeless, it doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. Sometimes, if we choose not to throw it away but instead stay consistent and present, a dormant love, just like a dormant tree, can still blossom.