The baobab

At my last birthday at the end of march, I got a very unusual present, maybe the most unusual present I have ever been given so far. It was a small piece of wood, more like a branch of a tree, wrapped in a linen package with colorful African print, fair traded, bought from the one-world-shop in Tübingen, and coming directly from a tree nursery in Senegal (many thanks to my friends Doro and Sascha!). After a closer look it turned out to be a little baobab, to be planted into soil, and may it grow and florish. In the instruction it said: "Replant into potting soil. Place in full sunlight. Allow the soil to dry between two generous waterings and continue to water even if the baobab loses its leaves." This last sentence convinced me the tree would immediately lose every single leaf - that is, should it actually ever grow any in my presence, a.k.a. the death zone for plants of all kinds - and never be seen again sporting something green. Still very pessimistic I reluctantly looked for some soil, planted the baobab, watered it every once in a while, not without letting the soil dry first, and waited. Absolutely nothing happened.
At the beginning of july, I decided to grant the plant a grace period until Christmas before digging to look for roots in the soil and, in case of their continuing absence, replant it to the organic waste container.

The brochure that came with the tree read: "The baobab is the tree of long life and can accompany many generations. People meet in its shade to talk. Its old age makes him a companion of wise men and prophets of ancient times. The strength of those, it is said, who have once been sitting below the tree enters all those who do so afterwards." Well, I guess mine will be the first baobab to die away after a short and miserable period of life and without ever having cast a single shadow.

Well, who needs baobabs anyway, in addition to their even being most dangerous. The "Little Prince" more than once speaks out a warning about them and their - haha - unstoppable seeming growth. In chapter 5 you can read the following: “Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. […] ‘A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. […] Sometimes, there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day. But when it is a matter of baobabs, that always means a catastrophe. I knew a planet that was inhabited by a lazy man. He neglected three little bushes . . .’ […] I do not much like to take the tone of a moralist. But the danger of the baobabs is so little understood, […] that for once I am breaking through my reserve. 'Children,' I say plainly, 'watch out for the baobabs!' My friends, like myself, have been skirting this danger for a long time, without ever knowing it; and so it is for them that I have worked so hard over this drawing.”

So, maybe it would be best to get rid of the stupid plant, and it better be sooner than later. On the other hand, this would not be very polite – it was a birthday present after all…

But then summer came, and two weeks later I saw some tiny green dots and was absolutely convinced the tree was about to grow some leaves any time soon (nothing but wishful thinking, of course). The next time I checked, a couple of minute green leaves were visible, and that was the beginning of a story of success. Three days later, both size and number of leaves had doubled, and after a month the little plant had grown into what already looked a bit like a tree. By now, I can’t wait to check, day after day, how my little tree grows and grows and grows and grows, it is growing new leaves like crazy and obviously enjoys doing so. Maybe now would be a really good moment to eradicate and dispose of this evil piece of nature with roots and soil and everything that has ever been within a 5 feet radius of it – but unfortunately, it has already grown into my heart…

In case you’re looking for me, I’m resting in the shade of the baobab, letting strength and wisdom enter my body and mind, putting off some piece of work until another day, and waiting for the first blossom (due in 8-10 years – according to Wikipedia).