It was just another average Saturday morning long run. I leapt over a puddle and emerged from the woods just as the sun peeked over the horizon. I headed east and then south, along the Natchez Trace Parkway. To my left was the Ross Barnett Reservoir, a vast body of water in central Mississippi just north of the state capital. To my right was the dark clump of trees I had just run through. My breath kept time with my heart as I looked down at my watch. I had 13 more miles to go.
I only run on the Trace for about a mile and then I pick up a multipurpose trail. Speeding trucks pulling fishing boats and an occasional cyclist whizzed by, keeping me on my toes. The Natchez Trace is a National Parkway that runs from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It’s known for its beautiful scenery and history. And there is no more beautiful spot on the Trace than the Overlook. It’s a parking area that overlooks a giant field and the Reservoir itself. I try to time my runs so I can see the sunrise from the Overlook. It’s a ritual that allows me to say thanks for the gift of the other day. And the view is nothing short of stunning.
Normally, I don’t see many runners during the first part of the run. But an older man, maybe 75, ran down the Trace toward me. He was slight of build, six-feet in height and sported a tidy beard. Unlike me, he was hardly sweating. I nodded and gave my little runner’s wave. He nodded back and right as he passed, he said, “You’re the guy who posts the pictures of that oak tree on Facebook, right?”
I stopped and said, “Yes.”
The oak tree in question stood out alone in the Overlook field. It had caught my eye about a year ago. While its mood changed depending on the season and the weather, it always was always out there — like a sentinel guarding the Reservoir itself. It’s not a particularly old tree — not gnarled like the live oaks long the coast. But it was beautifully shaped. And it consistently drew my attention and camera to it’s beauty.
“I love the pictures. You ought to do a book of them. What do you shoot them with?”
I thanked him and held up my phone.
“Impressive,” he said. “You know, you should live your life like that tree.”
It seemed to be a weird thing for him to say — I was afraid he was going to break into a Shel Silverstein poem. But I took a drink from my water-bottle and said, “Really?”
“Think about it. That oak started just like you — a little acorn. It was planted in this spot and it overcame every obstacle in the world to take root where it did.”
I nodded, thinking of the squirrels trying to rob the acorn for a midnight snack.
“Take the look of the tree. You draw, right?”
“Kinda.”
“Draw that tree in your mind. Below the ground, behind the scenes and where no one can really see is its roots. Those keep it in place. Hold it firm. What are your roots? Your family. Your friends. Your faith. What happens if those go away? It doesn’t matter what happens in your life — your career, your accolades — if your roots die, you, like the tree, will fall down.”
I knew I needed to make my roots stronger. “Think Miracle Grow would help?” I joked.
He patted my sweaty shoulder and said, “Strong roots, boy. You got to have strong roots.”
I looked out at the tree and said, “Well, what about the trunk?”
“Those are your core believes. What you’re all about. Your ‘Mission Statement,’ as some like to call it. Why are you on this earth? It’s what holds everything together. And it grows stronger every single year. When you are a kid, a sapling, you don’t know why you are here. But every year adds a new ring. When you get to be an old fart like me, well, you have a lot of rings. That’s why I run, btw.”
He laughed at his bad joke.
“Without a strong core,” he continued, “You will fall down. Break during the storms of your life. You won’t be able to support all the limbs you will grow.”
I pictured myself with 100 arms but then looked back at the oak.
“The limbs are?” I began to ask.
“How you go about your life. Your brand. How you take your mission to the world. Notice how there are main branches and then subbranches. The important things you do everyday, the things that promote your mission, are the big branches. Think of it like an outline. You have your main ideas and then you support them. You’re a writer/cartoonist. Say you have one branch labeled social media. Obviously it promotes what is in the trunk — your message. But then it’s subbranches are Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram — you get it. Then you have another branch that would be Illustrator. It’s subbranches would be cartooning, books, paintings. They hold the leaves. The things you do on a daily basis to live your life. To advance your mission. To make your dream come true.”
I was impressed that the man had thought of all of this and told him so.
“Be a mighty oak, son. Stand out in a field. Make people notice. But you have to have strong roots and a strong trunk. You can’t be all branches.”
I patted my stomach and said, “I’ll do some sit-ups.”
He smiled and said, “Go run. And when you get home draw the oak. Make your plan and make a difference.”
It’s funny who you’ll run into while you are running. Our whole conversation had lasted maybe five minutes. But as I watched the old man run away, I felt like he had changed my life.
I still run by the oak. As I pass, I wave at my friend. And I look for the old man. But I’ve never seen him again.
