Lo

I've recently realized that these entries are the closest things I've ever had to my own journal.  Of course I've never shared private things here, it just wouldn't make sense to have them exposed for anyone to read, but even though my entries have been anything but consistent, they have become the only written "documents" of my last four years.  

I've been reading some of my earliest journals, and it's simply incredible to see in what ways I have changed.  Even in the way I used to write, it's all so different.  But nonetheless I can see that most of my thoughts and way of seeing and experiencing life have remained quite the same.  It's hard to explain, but in my mind I had somehow completely alienated myself from the person I used to be back in 2007 or before that.  Reading those old entries has been really helpful in order to merge myself together.   It just… it gave me a clearer idea of who I am.  I'm sure most people about my age are having trouble finding their own identities, and adult people must remember how sucky that was (some of them might still be struggling with it).  So stumbling with these journals has been some sort of jackpot.  

This is why I have decided to write some entries here for myself.  Not all the time, but every now and then.  I'm pretty sure the future me will rather enjoy reading anecdotes of stuff that have happened.  Some of the memories I have and so on.

What I'm going to write now is the story of Lo, my apple tree.  It must sound silly for some people, but that tree has really become to mean a lot to me.  Though I'm sure most of you won't be interested in reading this as it wouldn't mean much to anyone that hasn't lived a similar experience.  I wanted to write it out so that someday, when or if I look back at the things I've posted here, I'll be able to have this whole story in order.  My memory will not always serve me well and this is (for me) a rather nice story and something that I would like to remember correctly (even though it's not finished yet).  So here we go:


Back in December 2003 / January 2004 I was up in my old room with my cousin, enjoying our summer holidays.  I remember I was having an apple and laughing at the fact that my cousin used to flinch every time she heard the crunching noise I made with each bite (she got over it eventually )

Acting in accordance with the evil little creature that I was, I decided to save four of the seeds and try to make them grow, just to annoy my cousin   Only one of the seeds took, and slowly started to grow in a small cotton-filled cup I made for it.

It was such a small and cute little plant, I immediately fell in love with it.  At the end of my summer holidays I decided to move it into a pot (it looked so tiny!) and take it back with me to our apartment, so I could watch and water it every day and not only during the weekends.

A year went by, and I felt the plant was big enough to "move" back to our country house (it was barely 15 cm high though).  It immediately started to grow.  My little plant was clearly not the city type, and it quickly thrived in its home environment.  It wasn't long before it grew its first branch.

I still remember its first winter there; it held on to its only leaf, just so it could photosynthesize throughout those harsh months (it was too small to live out if its own starch).

The next summer I decided it was time to find a good spot, and plant it.  It ended up in front of the window where my room –the place where I had decided to grow it – used to be (years later my room would me moved to the ground floor of our house).  

Apparently it liked the place and it started to grow even faster.  I named it "Lo" (pronounced as "low") one day whilst I was horseback riding with bohemiaanrhapsody .  It doesn't mean anything really; it came up while we were playing a word game that we made.  It consists of changing the genre of the words (it makes no sense in English) and no matter what the result always sounds funny ("la pescado", "el cuchara").  At one point I messed up and said "lo manzana".  And that is how the name came to be.

As time went by little Lo grew out more branches, and it wasn't long before it cached up with my height.  Nowadays it has reached the second landing of the house, so it's right in front of the room where we first met, back when it was a seed

Just about a month ago it had its first flowers.  Perfect and white little things; it made me so happy to see them.  It had only about four, and they lasted like a week (then there was a big storm and they fell off, so I wasn't able to take any pictures of them…).  But they were beautiful.  Seeing them took me right back to that summer day when I was eating the apple.  They grow so fast, don't they? I feel like I really did something right by growing this small tree, like all the time and work I've put into it were really worth it, and what's more, for the rest of my life I get to grow with it.  Someday, if I have kids, they might be able to climb it and eat from its apples.  I don't know, just thinking about that makes me incredibly happy.  It's never been pruned yet, so in a few years, as soon as its branches grow thick, it will be perfect for climbing.  

I find it bizarre that a tree has been able to bring me such joy over the years, but it truly has.  I do tend to grow strong feelings towards inanimate objects, so it's no surprise that I would talk or think about it as some sort of pet.  Every single memory that I have about Lo is a happy one, and not many people know about my powerful relationship with this plant; my silent companion.  Every weekend I make a point to go out and visit it   

So, for anyone who has read this journal all the way through, I would like to encourage you to plant a tree.  Trust me on this one:  plant it, care for it and watch it grow.  You'll never regret it.




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