Tree & Me: Right Under Your Feet
A Story by Janet Cowell, Mayor of Raleigh, NC
Tree & Me is a storytelling series from Leaf & Limb. In each issue, we feature a personal story about trees from one of our readers. This month, our story was written by the Mayor of Raleigh, Janet Cowell. Learn more about Leaf Out, Raleigh’s initiative to grow and preserve the city’s urban tree canopy.
Right Under Your Feet
Five large shade trees stood like sentinels along the gravel drive of the first house I bought, a 1922 bungalow near the NC State Fairgrounds. The paint was peeling, and the overgrown bushes needed my attention. I didn’t give those old trees much thought; I was moving much too fast.
Shortly after I moved in, I won a seat on the Raleigh City Council, which was part-time and paid very little. I was working side jobs to make ends meet. The crunch of gravel beneath the tires of my ‘96 Acura became my daily soundtrack as I pulled in and out of the driveway for a life I was losing track of. The trees waited.
A friend who knew I needed money and adventure suggested we pick pecans in South Carolina. Somehow then, in a brief pause in my frenetic life, I realized that it wasn’t just gravel crunching under the wheels. There were pecans all over the place. I had bushels of them. I bought nutcrackers at the dollar store and cracked nuts until my fingers were raw in the evening. I made pecan pies. I made spiced nuts and gave them away to friends and family. And still I had pecans. Maybe the old trees nodded right then.
I think about that sometimes. How close I came to never looking down. How many shaded porches, how many bushels, how many quiet mornings I almost traded away for one more errand.
The trees were always there. I am the one who almost wasn’t.
Have your own tree story?
Do you have a tree that holds a special place in your heart? Maybe it’s a childhood climbing tree, a backyard favorite, or one you planted in memory of someone you love.
Please share your story with us to celebrate the powerful connection between people and trees. You can do so by filling out the form below. Each month, we will select a new story to be featured in this “Tree & Me” series.
