Two Trees on the Cliff
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May 17, 2026
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"Dad, why do we always take this longer path?" Pino asked as he looked at the steep trail winding up the hill. Down in the valley, he could see the road—straight, paved, and easy. Dundo patted him on the shoulder. "Because there's something you need to see at the top." Jole, their faithful dog, trotted alongside them, wagging his tail happily. They walked for nearly an hour. Pino was already feeling tired, but Dundo encouraged him with stories from his childhood. When they finally reached the top of the cliff, two trees stood before them. One was enormous and sturdy, with a canopy so wide it cast a shadow over half the cliff. Its branches bravely faced the wind that blew incessantly at this height. The other tree, barely five meters away, was dry, broken, and almost dead. It creaked sadly in the wind. "Both trees were planted on the same day, from the same seed," Dundo said quietly.
Dundo sat on a stone bench that someone had placed long ago at the edge of the cliff and pointed toward the strong tree. "When the trees were young, there was a man who loved them. Every morning he came with a bucket of water and tended to them. He protected them from the wind, built a fence around them, and even sang to them." Pino laughed. "Sang to the trees?" "Yes, he sang to the trees. But then one day, he moved away, and the trees were left alone. This tree," he pointed to the dry one, "was sheltered by a rock that protected it from the wind. The wind never touched it. Its roots remained shallow because it never had to search deeply for water—the man provided it. When the man left, the tree didn’t know how to care for itself." "And what about the big one?" "The big one stood right on the edge of the cliff. The wind battered it every day. The rain pummeled it, and the sun scorched it. But because of that, its roots grew deep into the rock, searching for water, searching for support. Every gust of wind made those roots dig deeper." Pino was silent as he looked at the two trees. "Son, you’re in second grade now. Math can be tough for you. Vito watches you practice and laughs when you make mistakes on the board. The coaches put you on the bench during soccer games. I know it feels unfair." "It is unfair," Pino murmured. "Maybe. But ask yourself—are you the tree behind the rock or the tree on the edge of the cliff?" Dundo stood up and began to walk down the path. Pino lingered for a moment, gazing at the big tree whose roots, thick as arms, protruded from the cracks in the stone. The next day at school, Vito laughed when Pino
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