3/22/22 The Lonely Weeping Willow

 The Lonely Weeping Willow

Whenever someone passes through the village, we urge them to grab a branch from the weeping willow. They always ask why or are concerned it would kill the tree. We urge them on still. 

Wisdom flows in through the heart of our weeping willow. Everyone who picks a branch is filled with the knowledge of where they should go next or what they should do. The moment the tiny snap fills their ears the thought is placed in their mind.

Most of our guests who are just passing through do not pick from the weeping willow, they just stay for the night and leave the next morning. We do not shame them for it, we simply provide for them as best we can and then wish them well on their travels.

For those who do pick a branch from the tree, at first ask which branch they should pick. We always tell them to choose the one that feels right, and that it is impossible to pick the wrong one. They look around for a while, still unsure about the magic of the tree and then decide on a branch.

When they pick it they are momentarily startled as the magic flows from the tree and gives wisdom to the person. Most people who pick from the weeping willow find it amazing but choose not to follow the wisdom of the tree. They would rather continue with whatever they had planned, rather than drop everything because of a tree.

Then there are those who follow the tree’s wisdom. We do not know where they go, but they always return to the village. Sometimes after a few weeks or months, others it takes years. Everytime they come back they seem happier than before. They describe themselves as, “On the right path now.” Our village is small but evergrowing. In the end, everyone who picks from the tree finds their path ending at our village.

As the legend goes: The weeping willow was lonely and wanted people around. One day, a man was walking by and picked a branch from the tree. Something changed in him at that moment, he felt connected to the tree. As he continued on with his life, he never forgot about the tree. Years later, when he had a family of his own, he decided he wanted to start his own village. He led his family to the weeping willow tree and built the first shelter. Since that day, anyone who has picked a branch from the tree is drawn back to it; and not only that, but they return happier than before. That is the magic of the tree.

Today the main cabin of the village sits in the place where the first shelter was built. The village elder lives in that cabin. The elders and leaders of the village have always been the descendants of the man’s family. They spread the legend of the weeping willow down through the generations, to ensure the tree is never lonely again.


The End

3/22/22

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