The Acorn That Wanted To Be An Oak Tree

Once upon a time…

...there was an acorn that wanted to be an oak tree.

The tallest tree in the forest was the great oak tree. Its massive roots were twined among the boulders alongside the river. Its strong branches were home to many forest creatures. Its leafy crest towered above the rest of the trees of the forest and seemed to touch heaven.

The acorn wanted to be an oak tree.

When the acorn expressed this desire to one of his friends, the other acorn laughed. “Have you seen yourself lately midget? You could never be an oak tree.” And he went away, still chuckling.

Another acorn overhead the conversation.

“You can be an oak tree,” he said.

“I can?”, said the first acorn. “Please tell me how.”

“You must do oak tree exercises every morning and every night” replied the other. “If you practice enough, you will become a very great oak tree.”

The acorn began that very night. He exercised with all his might. Every day when he woke up and was still an acorn he said to himself “I will work even harder today. Then surely, tomorrow I will be an oak tree.

But he never was.

One day the acorn was in the middle of his exercises when a squirrel came by. “What are you doing?” asked the squirrel. “I am doing my exercises, so I may grow into a great oak tree,” replied the acorn. “But I have been working for a long time and I don't feel any more like an oak tree than before”.

“The material world will not help you come an oak tree,” said the squirrel with a wise expression.

“Then how am I to become an oak tree?,” asked the acorn.

“You must go to the Great Mountain and think oak tree thoughts for seventy-nine days and seventy-nine nights. On the morning of the eightieth day your soul will have absorbed the fullness of oakness and you will find yourself to be an oak tree.”

So the acorn traveled through many dangers to the Great Mountain. He climbed to the summit where the icy winds whistle and emptied his mind of everything but oak trees for seventy-nine days and seventy-nine nights. But when the sun rose on the eightieth day, he was still an acorn.

The acorn climbed down the mountain and made his way back home. He passed through a great city and saw a large building filled with books. “Maybe one of those books will tell me what I need to know to become an oak tree” thought the acorn. So he enrolled himself as a student in the oak tree school and studied with all diligence. The acorn studied at the university for many years. In time he became an expert, and taught classes on oak trees. But he grew old, and his cap became dusty and brittle and he was no closer to being an oak tree. “I will go home to the forest,” said the acorn. “There at least I can look at the oak tree even if I cannot become one.”

The acorn returned to the forest and went to the great oak tree. “You are so beautiful,” he said to the oak tree. “But I have searched my whole life, and now I know that I will never be anything more than an acorn.” And a silver tear fell from the acorn to the ground.

“Why are you crying?” said a voice suddenly. The acorn looked up, and saw the oak tree fairy sitting next to him. “I am crying because all my life I have tried to become an oak tree, and now I know that it is impossible”.

The oak fairy looked thoughtful. “Do you know where you come from acorn?”. “No,” said the acorn peevishly, feeling the fairy was intruding. “You came from the oak tree. You were designed to grow into an oak tree”.

“Well I haven't,” said the acorn.

“Of course not,” replied the fairy. “For that you have to die”.

“I have to die!?” cried the acorn aghast. “What if I don't want to?”

“Then you will never become an oak tree” said the fairy matter of factly.

The acorn thought for a moment. “I want to be an oak tree more than anything,” he said. “Show me how to die”. “Let me bury you in the ground,” said the fairy. So the acorn let the fairy cover him with the velvet darkness of the soil, and fell asleep.

When the acorn awoke, he was confused. No longer was he a small nut, but he was not a great tree either. “What have you done!” he said to the fairy in outrage. The fairy raised an eyebrow. “You are now an oak tree”, he stated. “Did you think that you would be a big tree overnight?”

“O,” said the acorn. “How do I grow?”

“Drink in the sun and rain. And take your acorn cap off. You won't be able to grow wearing it.”

The acorn did as the fairy said. He took off his acorn cap. He drank in the sun and rain.

Days, and weeks, and seasons, and years passed.

And in time…

The former acorn grew into a mighty oak.

His roots twined among the boulders by the river.

His branches housed forest creatures.

And his leafy crest seemed to touch heaven.

Photo: Bing Images