Mark Berman

And I was seeing friends of mine that were getting married or buying houses or having kids.

They all seemed to be

kind of passing me.

So it was a very kind of hard time.

A lot of things compounded where it did seem like, you know, a lot of my friends were passing me by and I was kind of stuck still maybe being a kid, not really having grown up yet.

Well, it certainly did.

I immediately went to Barton Park and looked for that big oak tree to share my sorrow and try to see if that oak tree could heal me a bit.

I basically said, it's over with me and Heather.

Now I've got to move out and find a new place to live.

I'm single, I don't have much money and I'm nearly 30.

My friends are buying houses, they're getting married, they're having kids themselves.

I just felt like a loser and kind of thinking, what am I doing wrong?

Well, initially it didn't help too much, but I think it felt good to get it out.

When you're in front of majestic nature, and, you know, to me this tree was fairly awe-inspiring, it does sort of make your problems feel a little bit smaller, that we're part of something larger, and the vastness of nature

can make us feel small, but I think in a good way, where we realize, you know, we're part of something bigger.

And, you know, while I certainly was not feeling good at the time that it would pass and I would get back to being myself again.

Yeah, I think that's a really, really good point.

And also, too, that you're describing these trees that can be so old.

They do kind of have sort of the wisdom of a grandparent.

It seems like, you know, they have deep roots.