Growing

At our place we have planted lots of trees.  Well, shrubs is probably a more apt word.  Our ideal is mostly that they grow a couple of meters high.  We are big on Grevillia’s as the birds seem to like them.  A drawback is they generally have a shorter life expectancy than other “trees.” 
We have planted some bigger trees in the hope they will make it less hot in summer.  I must confess though in Winter I seek out the sun.  At work I used to always be able to tell when winter had arrived, as the students all sought out sunny, rather than shady spots.  Thankfully there is still sun to be had out the front, and in some places out the back of our yard.  One of our customs is to grab a chair and sit in the sun on occasions.  Generally it is with a coffee in hand. 
I was wondering where our nearest neighbour got sun, but there is a place in their yard where sun is to be had.  Most of that place is shady.  That is great for any season but winter.  Fortunately our winters are short and mild.
I would be very disappointed if a “shrub” did not grow.  That is, we planted it in a certain place in the expectation it achieve three meters, and it stayed forever half a meter high.
I need to grow too and within me is all that is needed to grow to a certain height.  There is no right or wrong height except what is right for me.  In my life will be the equivalent of bush fires, droughts and flooding rains, but that is life.  I cannot expect it to be all smooth sailing.  I don’t know that anyone experiences that.  However whatever comes my way, can either break me or make me stronger.
Merril and I are often amazed, when we see pictures of a storm having gone through some place, and huge trees are blown over.  What is remarkable is how shallow rooted some of those trees are.
Merril and I have a big tree in our yard.  We love it.  So do the birds judging by the number of nests.  We know its roots go deep because we have seen the effect that strong winds have on it.  That does not stop us being concerned that that tree will topple over.
If my roots are not deep, and I have not faced adversity, then there is a good chance that will be my fate.
So far so good.