Conversation Between a Golden Leaf and a Young Shoot

“Hello there! What are you?”

“I’m a leaf, like you.”

“How come you look different? All my friends are like me. We are green, our skin is supple, and we are swaying with the wind. Your color is like the setting sun, your skin is wrinkled, and you seem stiff.”

“That’s because I’m an old leaf and you are young. My color is like this because I have been kissed by the sun so many times.”

“I love the sun! You mean to say you have seen the sun come up and come down a lot of times?”

“More than three hundred times.”

“Wow, that’s so cool! I can’t wait to see the sun come up and I have only seen it a few times.”

“You will see it many more times.”

“Cool! How come your skin is hard and you look stiff?”

“That’s because I had to become stronger so I could stand the days when the sun does not come out and the wind gets stronger.”

“You mean to say there’s danger?”

“Sometimes the sun does not shine, but we know it is always there. I am always thankful to see it again, like today.”

“So my friends and I will become like you?”

“Yes, those who get through the windy days.”

“Where are the rest of your friends?”

“They’ve gone back to the roots of this tree we all belong to.”

“Do you miss them?”

“My friends have done their part, they have nurtured the tree and now the tree has new shoots like you! They may even have become part of you and your friends.”

“So you will be gone too? I’m beginning to like you.”

“I’ve seen my season and I will soon join my friends.  For you and your friends, there’s a lot of sun ahead!”

“I can’t wait!”

“Keep reaching for the sky, enjoy the sun, and dance with the wind.”

“Thank you, old leaf.”

Seasons