To Withstand

Unlike Catherine Hepburn, if I could be a tree, I would not be an oak; I would be a Joshua tree, renowned for its sheer ability to withstand.

 

The phrase what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger seems to best sum up a Joshua tree, at least for me. It is perfect mixture of persistence and endurance mixed in with the innate ability to flourish where difficulty is present.

Distinctively American, this tree only grows in the southwestern United States, where it thrives in the arid soil of the Mojave Desert. In the scientific community it is referred to as yucca brevifola and has been recorded to grow from anywhere to sixteen to forty nine feet high. The Joshua Tree National Park is located in Southern California about 150 miles east of Los Angeles.

This tree known for its resilience looks like something you might see in an old episode of Bonanza as Hoss Cartwright rides over the Ponderosa. The Joshua tree is known for its long, straight dagger shaped leaves that tapper off to a sharp point at the end. It is an unusual looking tree with leaves that grow in a spiraling pattern, not to mention the rather unpleasant odor that the off-white blossoms give off.

The trunk of a Joshua tree is made of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine the tree’s age. This tree has a top-heavy branch system, but also has what has been described as a “deep and extensive’ root system, with roots possibly reaching up to 36 feet away. If it survives the rigors of the desert, it can live for hundreds of years with some specimens surviving up to a thousand years.

Its unique name, the Joshua tree, was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19^th century. The tree’s unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands upward in prayer. The Joshua tree and its ability to flower in the desert represent a pioneering and persistent spirit that is well suited for its home in the American west.

Quite frankly, if it wasn’t for the band U2 in the 1980’s, I believe the poor Joshua tree could still be living in meager anonymity. However, when a band as famous as U2 uses your image to represent them on a record cover you tend to get noticed, even if it is just for peculiarity.

Albeit the tree itself is not much to look at, however, its characteristics are quite something to marvel over. Anyone can succeed given the right environment, support, upbringing, and financial stability. Thrive amidst adversity and then you have something, at least in my eyes. God never gives us more in life than HE can handle.

So, why should anyone what to be like a Joshua tree? At least for me, the answer is simple: to withstand is the thing.

Swavel