Bark

FIELD NOTE 03

Bark

The pattern and texture drew me in.

A little research taught me that the bark of some trees can hold generous amounts of water in reserve. The protective barrier also helps the tree retain what it needs to live.

It made me think differently about protection.

There have been times when I thought being open meant remaining accessible. Protecting myself felt like withholding something from another person.

But not everyone knows how to hold what is vulnerable without trying to control it. Some crowd the space, taking more than was offered. Others abandon it when they can no longer determine the terms.

A boundary reveals the difference.

How someone responds when we protect what matters is information. It can remind us of what we have already seen when we are tempted to forget.

Perhaps boundaries are less about keeping others out and more about keeping something essential within.

The bark does not only protect the tree from what surrounds it. It helps the tree hold what sustains it.

Maybe ours do, too.