An old oak tree in my yard never loses all its leaves. Every year, despite winds and snowfall, it holds on to at least a third of its crumpled foliage, bearing the weight and burden of weather until spring.
The oak with the clinging dead leaves grows outside my office window and has been my focus when I drift off in thought. I researched what would cause this condition of a tree retaining its leaves and found that it’s called marcescence, a word coming from the Latin marcescere, “to fade.” Interestingly, scientists are unsure why it exists, but what I know is that when I look at my oak with dull dried leaves, I reflect on what I’m holding onto that is holding me back. What am I clinging to…
