1st Self-Portrait Challenge of July

The month of July's Self-Portrait Challenge is a curious one. We are to portray ourselves as a chair, Marlon Brando, or anything we wish! The challenge is "Self-portrait as ..." Yes, we decide just whatever it is we want to be or are or could be.

I elected to portray myself as a tree. A Weeping Willow tree to be precise.

During a television interview some years ago, Barbara Walters asked Katharine Hepburn if she could be any kind of tree, which would she be. Hepburn's response was that she would be an oak tree. Walters was mocked and ridiculed for having asked what most felt was as an incredibly stupid question.

I took exception to the criticism thrown at her. First of all, Hepburn was the one who compared herself to a tree during the course of the conversation. Walters simply followed up that remark by asking her to specify which tree.

Second, I find it to be a very interesting question, and the response can be quite revealing.

Yes, I am a Weeping Willow tree.

Willows bend with the movement of the air around them. They almost seem to lean impossibly far in strong winds. One would think they will surely snap from the extreme force. Yet, they do not. They return to their upright position. They are flexible that way. I like to believe I, too, can handle the harsh occurrences life gives me and that I bend with them...but do not break in two. I am oftentimes quite strong like the deceivingly fragile Willows.

I love the feeling of the wind blowing my long hair, much like how the slender leaves and hanging branches of a Willow sway from the gusts of wind or slight breezes. The branches provide shade and comfort and privacy to those who gather around the trunk. I invite my loved ones to nestle around me and look to me to console them and find peace around me. I will guard them from any and all harm that I possibly can.

I am tall, and most Willow trees are, too. They also grow rapidly. ::smile:: I shot up six inches in one year (from seventh to eighth grade). Unfortunately, I only gained 15 pounds, so gangly would be a kind word to describe my spindly frame at that time.

Ah, a WEEPING Willow...I do weep. Not often so others can see, but the depth of my feelings about almost anything and everything causes me to scamper off to a quiet place where the tears can flow.

Most importantly, a Willow has a tenacious root system. Incredibly powerful and capable of breaking concrete and wreaking havoc on underground lines. That root system nourishes them and gives them their strength. I find my strength in my roots. My family is my root structure. A supportive, vital, integral part of my existence.

So, you see, Barbara's question was not a foolish one at all. In fact, I am glad she asked Hepburn to name a specific tree, because it made me think of just which tree suited me.

*Thank you, Tish, for the suggestion that I enlarge the image.