{"id":10465,"date":"2015-08-18T06:50:32","date_gmt":"2015-08-18T13:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michellejolin.com\/wordpress\/?p=10465"},"modified":"2015-08-18T06:50:32","modified_gmt":"2015-08-18T13:50:32","slug":"whats-your-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=10465","title":{"rendered":"What’s your job?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yo, what a freak<\/p>\n

I’m a tree<\/p>\n

(No you’re not)<\/p>\n

I’m a tree<\/p>\n

(Stop lying)<\/p>\n

–Imani Coppola\/I’m A Tree<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Driving home from work, stuck in traffic, I noticed three trees at the side of the freeway. All the same type. One was sort of squat–stubby and scarred. One was tall and robust–the only one that really seemed to be flourishing. The other was thin and scraggly. <\/p>\n

It made me wonder, the way things always do, if  trees notice differences between themselves. <\/p>\n

Does the spruce envy the weeping willow its pliable branches and soft leaves?<\/p>\n

Does the willow envy the noble fir for being so tidy and green all year?<\/p>\n

Does the fir envy the cherry for its flowers and fruit?<\/p>\n

Does the cherry have a superior attitude because it doesn’t have scratchy needles like a pine tree?<\/p>\n

Not likely. Given the lack of brains, trees probably aren’t big on labels. Classifying isn’t something they get called on to do in life like animals do. They reach for the sun as best as they can with their branches, and send their roots down for as much nourishment as they can find. <\/p>\n

Trees know their job and they do it. No worry. Probably no pleasure, either. <\/p>\n

Humans love to compare and label. We classify. We sort. <\/p>\n

We wish we were taller. Shorter. Thinner. Darker. Straighter. Slimmer. Better. Worse. We’re happy when we’re doing better than other humans. We’re sad or anxious when we feel like we’re not doing as well. 
\nWe don’t spend a lot of time just being. <\/p>\n

It’s the thing that makes us build things, but also the thing that leads to excess. Avarice and war. Caring and compassion. Because we are so successful at adapting, the only thing that keeps us in check is…us. <\/p>\n

Mostly, we run rampant. At some level, I think most of us know that. We feel a need to rationalize it by claiming a higher purpose, or a better spot in the evolutionary chain. 
\nUltimately, the Earth will win. <\/p>\n

The trees won’t care either way. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yo, what a freak I’m a tree (No you’re not) I’m a tree (Stop lying) –Imani Coppola\/I’m A Tree Driving home from work, stuck in traffic, I noticed three trees at the side of the freeway. All the same type. One was sort of squat–stubby and scarred. One was tall and robust–the only one that … Continue reading What’s your job?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"What's your job?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-random-thoughts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7lr3R-2IN","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4908,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=4908","url_meta":{"origin":10465,"position":0},"title":"How do you ruin karma?","author":"Michelle","date":"April 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a hotel up the street from work that plants palm trees outside the building each Spring. Each Winter, they wrap the trees in insulation so they don't die. Each Spring, they unwrap the dead trees and replace them with new ones. Portland, Oregon is not exactly a tropical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michellejolin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20140409-165113.jpg?fit=225%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4460,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=4460","url_meta":{"origin":10465,"position":1},"title":"Outgrowing a box","author":"Michelle","date":"March 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Wandering around NW Portland, I see a lot of urban trees. They get planted in small little squares like they're only ever going to grow so big. When they start out, in the words of Bob Ross, they're happy little trees. 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I am, as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4785,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=4785","url_meta":{"origin":10465,"position":3},"title":"Listen","author":"Michelle","date":"April 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Out walking, I was looking around at the new leaves on the trees, and the flowers popping out, and smelling newly cut grass. As I passed underneath a tree, birds were singing so loudly I almost had to cover my ears. When I stopped to listen for a minute, they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8793,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=8793","url_meta":{"origin":10465,"position":4},"title":"What I love about Buffy the Vampire Slayer…","author":"Michelle","date":"December 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Willow: Buffy, earlier you agreed with me about Thanksgiving. It's a sham. It's all about death Buffy: It *is* a sham. But it's a sham with yams. It's a yam sham. Willow: You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way out of this one. I am not a big TV watcher in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Words"","block_context":{"text":"Words","link":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11266,"url":"https:\/\/michellejolin.com\/?p=11266","url_meta":{"origin":10465,"position":5},"title":"Spring? Yes, please","author":"Michelle","date":"March 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It's amazing how much better a person feels just getting out into warmer, dryer air. The daffodils are out. Pink blossoms are popping out on trees. Green shoots are popping out of the ground. 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