Finding Our Footing When the World is Upside Down

When I was in college, an old factory campus nearby was transformed into a contemporary art museum.  The new and impressive Mass MoCA got a lot of attention.  My philosophy course even went there on a field trip.

And that's when I first saw them: the upside down trees.

Six red maple trees, each with their roots planted in a stainless steel container, hung from a metal truss.  When the trees were first installed, Natalie Jeremijenko - the artist and engineer of "Tree Logic" - said she hoped to "answer the question of what happens when you grow trees upside down."

Even when inverted, the trees still grew away from the ground and toward the sun.  The branches bent and the canopy shapes changed, as the trees reached for the sunlight they needed.  Were they stressed?  Absolutely.  But they survived, and would be replaced and replanted each time they outgrew their metal containers.

The whole installation stayed for longer than anyone expected - almost 25 years.

I've been thinking about those upside down trees, as we've approached today's full moon and the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat.  The 15th of the month of Shevat is the date that marks a new year of growth for trees.  This year I think it's those red maple trees that surprised everyone that can teach us, and maybe even inspire us.

Even when our world goes upside down, and our familiar grounding is gone, growth is still possible.  We just need to reach for what nourishes us.  We need to keep focused on the values and light that guide us.

When the news from Washington is chaotic and upsetting, we need to reach for one another.  We need to remember that living organisms - humans, trees, and everything in between - are dynamic.  We react when our basic needs are disrupted.  That's the art of living.

May we find grounding in one another.
May we trust our resilience.
May we be guided by love and wisdom.