Final College Assignment

Professor McMasters

Creative Writing

May 5th, 2022

So, I did the assignment a bit differently.

When you first asked us to find a tree, I found one ten minutes before class started and hurriedly sketched it out before running to class. I often walked by it on campus but I didn’t really care about it as my tree. Anyways, I wrote a story about the tree but honestly, it felt kinda like lying so I scrapped it and I am trying this again.

**Insert mental image of me up at a podium, spontaneously tearing up my manufactured speech and dramatically launching into a passionate and heartfelt speech as the scraps of my index cards flutter to the stage floor**

I picked a new tree. I think it’s a cherry blossom but that’s because cherry blossoms are the only trees I know that have pink flowers. This time, I took my time walking around campus before I picked it. Then I laid out a towel and sat under it to work on a paper for another class. When I rose to leave —I was running late to pick up my boyfriend from the train station— I picked up my blue sweatshirt and shook it out before inspecting it for ants (I already hate ants and Hayley’s story didn’t help). I found one big ant right in the middle, clinging to it. I tried to use a stick to push it off but it was thoroughly stuck to the cotton.

Touching the ant was out of the question. Instead, I looked around for help. I approached two girls sitting about ten feet away from me and after awkwardly explaining my situation, they laughed and one immediately got up to help. The one still sitting cracked jokes while her friend pulled out her Hofstra ID card and knelt over the sweatshirt with me. It took us 10 minutes and two more ID cards, but we got the ant out without killing it. We laughed, I thanked them, and then we parted ways. I was a few minutes late to pick up my boyfriend, but at least I had a fun story.

My tree story signifies something about me that may never change. I will always leave my responsibilities to the last second, whether it be picking a tree, leaving on time to pick up my boyfriend from the train station, or writing a final portfolio (I willingly accept whatever charges I face for turning this in late). More importantly, however, it shows that while I’ve accepted that change is uncomfortable, I’ve learned to better deal with my discomfort. Ada Limon’s quote comes to mind: “I’m thinking about people and trees and how I wish I could be silent more, be more tree than anything else, less clumsy and loud, less crow, more cool white pine, and how it’s hard not to always want something else, not just to let the savage grass grow.” I don’t wish to be silent more, be more tree than anything else. I like being able to get up and shake out my towel and perform sweatshirt-ant separation surgery with two strangers and three Hofstra ID cards. I like the idea of moving from tree to tree, especially as I get ready to leave Hofstra. There will be pink-flowered trees (cherry blossoms??) wherever I go— I just have to survive the discomfort and make it to spring.

I’m so glad that it only took 21 years and 9 months for me to reach such a healthy place.

** Insert standing ovation. I smile out at my audience and as I leave the podium I clench my fists to hide the ink marks of my real speech on my palms. That’s right— I planned to tear up my speech all along**