ode to the tulip poplar

This is a tribute to first loves and trees. And no, they are not one in the same.


This semester I have been taking Forest Ecology. I did not intend to take it, but I have to admit that it has been a pretty cool class. I also think my teacher is kinda cute, so that helps. (Do not worry, hes like 40 and divorced and has his doctorate in mycorrhizae, nerd!)

Anyway, we took a field trip to a small preserve by the university to check out the trees and study plots. It turns out that everyone in the class is more of the genetics / microbiology sort and we really know very little about trees. Therefore, the prof spent awhile identifying common trees for a lab we were to do later.

He asked if anyone knew a tree that has leaves like this:



I remembered that it was a poplar. Just one of those random facts dug out of the depths of my mind. Like so much information, it takes a very specific question to unearth it.

Anyway, he said yes, it was actually the tulip poplar.

Awesome, I know something about trees.



So I started thinking about the tulip poplar, and one specific memory comes to mind: my very first serious crush.



Oh first grade, how I adored thee.
Reading, spelling tests, multiplication tables, and my first crush, Dave T.


You guys know this, or you ought to, but Dave T was the first boy I ever adored. I mean, he was just adorable.

However, he was "cool" and I... well... have you seen pictures from elementary school? Try this one on for size:




Yeah.... hotness.

I was (okay, still am) a total nerd. One of my close friends at the time, Ashlee, also had a thing for Dave... and they were better together, because they were both popular and cute and whatever. I never confessed my adoration until years later.


Anyway, in first grade, we took a trip to Longwood Gardens. During the trip, we were split into groups and had to complete a worksheet that was sort of like a scavenger hunt. There were little puzzles and riddles and we had to find the answers.

One of them was "What is the tree that is named after a flower?"


Well, I got really excited because I found the answer at the last minute on our way out. Hurray for me!

But even better was the fact that at the door, we bumped into Dave T's group. Dave actually asked me if I had found the answer. I was happy to report that I did, and I shared the answer with him.

I think I floated on air the rest of the day and when I got home, I devoted 2 pages of my Precious Moments diary to the interaction.

2 pages for a first grader is a lot!



Anyway, if you have not guessed it by now, the answer was the tulip poplar.



Fast forward to 10th grade, Dave T became my first boyfriend, my first kiss... the first boy to hold my hand and to give me flowers.... awwwwwwwwwwwww....


And now here I am, 26 years old, thinking about the tulip poplar again and how at 6 years old, I could get that big of a crush and how such an insignificant interaction could mean so much to me... even enough to remember 20 years later!




With my students, I have been asking them whether they think that leaders are born or made. In other words, how much do genetics factor into who you become? One of them had a really great answer, and he pointed out that the smallest things can set you on a different course, and you never know what will influence who you become or where you go.

The smallest things can have the biggest meanings... and conversely what can seem huge really turns out to be insignificant.

What seems like random chance can be life-altering in retrospect... you just do not know.... just another reason why life is cool.