Different responses to the situation

We always think of autumn as the time when the leaves fall off the trees. But that's not always the case! Often when I hike I see trees where the leaves have clearly died at the end of summer, but stubbornly continue to cling to the tree. Or is it the tree that refuses to let the leaves move on? They stay connected through the winter and finally drop off in the spring. Many oak and beech trees exhibit this behavior.

To me, that's a reminder that we don't all react the same way, we don't all go through the same things. How we respond to experiences or circumstances can vary widely. Two people can be in the same setting, one elated and the other terrified. Two people can get the same disease, one barely noticing symptoms and the other losing his life. Two people can react to the same stimulus or provocation or set of circumstances in very different ways.

Part of this relates to agency; in many settings we are able to choose how we respond to the situation. But not always; for example, we don't always understand why one person lives and another dies from the same infection (this has been particularly true for our current COVID challenge). We have very individualized experiences in this world. It's important to direct and control our personal response to challenges when we can; but it's also valuable to recognize that at times, there's more to the picture than just choosing.

There's another aspect of this scenario. When I see the trees, with and without leaves, it always reminds me of a thought I heard many years ago in a BYU assembly. An older leader, speaking to the the young studentbody, commented: "Someone has written, 'New leaves do not come because old leaves are falling. Old leaves fall because new leaves are coming.' You are the new leaves. We look with optimism to your coming and bid you remember with Charlie Brown that there is no heavier burden than great potential." (Marion D. Hanks, "Appreciate Your Opportunities," BYU, October 28, 1975.) That analogy particularly holds true for the oaks and beeches where the old leaves hang on through challenging cold and winds of winter, only to be pushed away as the buds of spring begin to swell. (Perhaps I appreciate that thought more now, since I'm well into that transition from new leaf to old.)

I #GiveThanks for the chance to see differences and variety in this wonderful world and its inhabitants, for the process of growth, and for the renewal that comes through fresh new life both in nature and in the generations of people.