You can’t plant every tree everywhere and that’s ok. During my travels around the world I often come into contact with different climates and ways of living, which inspired this tree analogy.
In the Netherlands, the trees I grew up with are mostly oaks, beeches, and willows. They know the rhythm of soft rains, the gentle shift of seasons, and the patience of slow, steady growth. Their roots understand the soil here. Their leaves know when to turn golden, when to fall, and when to sleep.
But what happens if you take a Dutch oak and plant it in the desert? Or in a tropical rainforest? It won’t thrive not because it’s “weak,” but because it wasn’t made for that environment.
Nature understands this. Yet as humans, we often forget it.
The nature analogy
Some living things simply cannot flourish in every setting:
✦ A cactus can store water for months and withstand desert heat, but place it in a polar climate and it will freeze to death.
✦ A palm tree can dance in tropical storms, but plant it on a cold mountain slope and it will wither.
✦ A lotus flower blooms only in still, muddy water, in rushing, rocky rivers, it will never take root.
And it’s not just about plants even humans feel this.
The human side
Sometimes, our “environment” isn’t just climate, but culture, pace of life, or energy. A person with delicate white skin might burn quickly under the tropical sun. Someone used to the stillness of the countryside might feel their nervous system fray in a crowded, noisy city. In the wrong climate, skin can dry out from the wind, break out from constant sweat, or become irritated from air pollution.
But it’s deeper than just our skin, our souls have climates, too. Some people thrive in the wild unpredictability of city life. Others need the quiet and grounding of rural landscapes. Some bloom in warm, social cultures; others need space and solitude to feel at home.
The lesson
If your body, mind, or spirit struggles in a certain place, it’s not a personal failing, it’s simply a mismatch of environments. The tree isn’t wrong for not growing in the desert. The cactus isn’t wrong for not surviving the snow.
It’s okay to seek the soil, sunlight, and rain that let you grow in your fullest, most vibrant form.
Because when you’re planted in the right place, you don’t just survive: you thrive. Listen to your body, it is telling you all you need to know.
miracles of the moon ☽ 