The Importance of Roots

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash

Roots are important. We know that. A tree with few or shallow roots will not sustain the tree as it grows tall. That tall tree with all those green leaves may not be as solid as expected. In fact, in a storm with high winds, that tree with unexpectedly shallow roots may rip out of the ground to fall in the road or onto the nearest house. Only after the crash of a tree that appeared stable may we realize the roots did not go deep enough for support or those roots were cut or shrunk from disease.

 Roots are important in our education as well. It is difficult to have a clue how to do Geometry or Algebra if you never learned the basics of addition—1 plus 1=2—or subtraction, or never learned multiplication tables. We will never read historical, technical, or other books on any number of subjects we want or need to read in order to learn from the past or to study subjects from medicine to piloting planes, if we haven’t gotten past the basics of the language and its expression.

 Roots that go deep mean stability and a foundation of security and/or knowledge. Foundations are important for our lives. However, there are times when roots cause problems. Sometimes trees long cut down leave roots that continue to reach out underground. If these roots are not stopped or removed, they can cause untold problems. I found out all about these destructive roots and the problems they cause.

 The toilet in our master bath slowed down and finally clogged altogether. Nothing we did ourselves would unclog the toilet. Finally, I called the plumbing company we have used for years when we needed a plumber. Two men showed up and went to work in our bathroom. When they were finished, they showed me a bundle of what looked like unwashed hair.

 They told me that to clear the line, they had to cut through roots. They unclogged the toilet for use but warned that much more needed doing. We scheduled for them to return the next Tuesday. When they returned, they brought a noisy piece of equipment. I soon winced as I heard it grinding as they drilled into the situation under the stool. It took longer than the workers thought it would.

 Later, they took out a full trash bag of roots. Even they were surprised the roots were not far down the line. No, those roots were growing right under the floor. This is possible because we have no basement. Our house actually sits on a deep bed of sand. This was decided because we needed a house without stairs due to my limitations. Somehow those roots had been growing under the ground winding their way into our plumbing.

 It took work, but the workers cleared out the roots and sealed things up so, hopefully, the problem will not present again any time soon. I am thankful the situation was fixable and that the roots are now gone or locked out for the time being. Our toilet is working great.

 While roots are important for grounding and stability, sometimes roots are not positive. When we make negative decisions we begin to grow roots that if allowed to spread will harm our thoughts, our relationships, and our lives. What we put into our lives and minds does matter. Our choices grow roots that, if positive, provide a solid foundation for stability and security. If negative, choices begin growing roots that may well destroy a future or life—such as starting drug usage that leads to addiction.

Let us grow roots that grow our lives into stable foundations that provide beauty into our world and our lives.

 © 2023 Carolyn R Scheidies
Column Published in Kearney Hub 11/30/2023
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