Taken Leave(s) of Our Senses?

by FH2o on March 19, 2006

I was looking at the clumps of leaves gathering against my jetty steps before being carried off by the ebbing tide. With a canopy of mangrove trees overhead, the jetty and timber deck are constantly strewn with fallen leaves; which with their variations of sizes, shapes and colours are a delightful sight to us. It is therefore amusing to us when visitors remarked that it must be a ‘nuisance’ to have to constantly sweep them away to keep the deck ‘clean’. As everyone’s sense of values may be different from ours, we gave a ‘politically correct’ answer that the wind would automatically do that for us by blowing them away; which it often does! Leaves are naturally biodegradable (duh!) and I would prefer the sight of rotting leaves than the human litter of plastics and other wastes, anytime. We had become so out of touch with nature that we are now afraid of natural things!

But I’m sure we all know of a number of people who had written to local councils to have roadside trees chopped down (which in most instances they stupidly unfortunately do) because of the ‘nuisance’ of the leaves falling onto their driveways, roof gutters, patios, etc. Granted that they may be ‘nuisance’; it is something that I would (and very happily) gratefully live with rather than an absence of them and the accompanying shades, birds, insects, butterflies and other priceless delights that they bring. What’s the point of having a sterile environment or have I taken leave of my senses?

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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

flaneur March 19, 2006 at 7:50 pm

The international time difference works to my advantage in this case.

the leaves and sunsets are always lovely, an inspiration, and an undeniable reference to the impermanence of life. always welcome.

FH2O March 19, 2006 at 7:55 pm

flaneur - it does!

I couldn’t agree more with your sentiments. Our impernamence and we are all drifting in the seas of life …

What’s with a few leaves on the driveway? I could never understand ppl on this issue ..

IML March 19, 2006 at 10:18 pm

Mother nature gives us a purpose in life. Have we come so spotless thanks to the maids’ constant cleaning that we cannot stand mess? Have we become so myopic we cannot see the bigger picture of life?

FH2O March 19, 2006 at 10:33 pm

its my life story - I’m afraid so … :(

I for one is for ‘mess’. Hmmm i mean u just have to take a look at my desk! :)

Robin March 19, 2006 at 10:52 pm

haha, coincidentally, I posted one on tree too!

Trees need to be pruned and taken care every now and then. Perhaps this may be a nuisance to some people.

Again, one man’s leave is another man’s rubblish.

Chen March 20, 2006 at 1:09 am

at first glance on the word “leave” —> made me think of going “on leave” :)
Might be it’s time for me to take leave?

FH2O March 20, 2006 at 1:29 am

robin & chen - i didn’t realise that this post has so many different layers of meaning to different folks …

hmmm that leaves plenty of room for thought! :)

Momo the Wonder Dog March 20, 2006 at 7:29 am

As the song goes - “take all the trees put em in a tree museum, then you charge the people a dollar and a half just to see em. Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone? Pave paradise, put up a parking lot.”

Hey us dogs NEED those roadside trees!

:O?

FH2O March 21, 2006 at 8:27 pm

momo - yingyang, penny n cuddles agrees wholeheartedly with you! :)

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