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Shel Silverstein
The Giving TreeOnce there was a tree…. and she loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree…. very much. And the tree was happy.
But time went by. And the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, “Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.” ”I am too big to climb and play” said the boy. ”I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money? “ ”I’m sorry,” said the tree, “but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city. Then you will have money and you will be happy.” And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time…. and the tree was sad. And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy and she said, “Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy.” ”I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy. ”I want a house to keep me warm,” he said. ”I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house ?” ” I have no house,” said the tree. ”The forest is my house, but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy.”
And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house. And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak. ”Come, Boy,” she whispered, ”come and play.” ”I am too old and sad to play,” said the boy. ”I want a boat that will take me far away from here. Can you give me a boat?” ”Cut down my trunk and make a boat,” said the tree. ”Then you can sail away… and be happy.”
And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away. And the tree was happy … but not really.
And after a long time the boy came back again. ”I am sorry, Boy,” said the tree,” but I have nothing left to give you - My apples are gone.” ”My teeth are too weak for apples,” said the boy. ”My branches are gone,” said the tree. ” You cannot swing on them – “ ”I am too old to swing on branches,” said the boy. ”My trunk is gone, ” said the tree. ”You cannot climb – “ ”I am too tired to climb” said the boy. ”I am sorry,” sighed the tree. ”I wish that I could give you something…. but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry….” ”I don’t need very much now,” said the boy. ”just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.” ”Well,” said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, ”well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.” And the tree was happy.
Its a beautiful poetic story.
A shame to treat a tree like that, because in fact, the tree is prevented from being a tree, grow, beautiful, bear fruit, give shade.
The idea is giving makes happy and thats true. But overgiving isnt healthy. Balance is so important in nature.
Trees outlive us, and are much smarter than us in adapting to a lot of situations.
It’s not about over giving but about sacrifice of self for the sake of others.
Like St. Francis said “make me an instrument of your love…in giving we shall receive.. “
Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi and all of the other people are esteemed because they put others before themselves.
We may not understand why they did what they did but the world is certainly a better place because of them.
The soldiers who fight for a nation give more than they receive.. it’s that sense of purpose, sacrifice, detachment and love that we need to learn from this story.
Yes, i understand that. My question is about balance. Giving is good and sacrifice can be too, but the tree for instance will not be able to bear fruit again or let people rest in her shade. So its also possible to make another choice in order to give more. I dont think that would be a bad choice.
In life it can be a good thing to set up some boundaries to be able to continue to look after others. Because things would be a lot worse when you cant anymore.
So thats what I like to know.
Is there a good or bad? 8 dont know. I think its about balance.That’s a good question . It’s hard to answer for eg a mother sacrifices for her kids future because she’s happy to do so. A father or a stranger helps others when nobody else is there to provide help.
There are tiny sacrifices we make everyday of our time and energy so that it makes an impact on someone’s life or is heard by one person who is in need and is helpful to them.
There are teachers that were my neighbors who made huge impacts on kids lives by paying attention to them and saying kind words to a drawing or a card the kid drew in appreciation. They spent their own money because the school did not have enough funds every year because the school district is a poor one. Then years later they receive wonderful letters from their kids telling them how impactful their overtures made in the kids life..so nothing goes to waste if offered with kindness, humility and love, it always comes back to you and your loved ones in the form of blessings. Einstein was right energy cannot be destroyed it’s only converted from one form to another.
But definitely if it’s at the expense of one’s health, spiritual, emotional, mental, physical or financial then one should take a step back and reassess and make oneself a priority until one regains the balance one needs. But a giving person takes joy in giving and can’t be stopped because they see themselves in others. 💕
Hi , thanks but it doesnt answer my question. I dont deny there is joy in giving. I am a teacher and did all the above. For my own children too. Receiving is important too, you might make your partner very happy showing appreciation for what he did for you. Its balance.
My children… yes of course. But we were not your average family. My husband took care if the kids whike i worked fulltime. And he did a very good job with our boys. Does that make him a lesserbman? Was i a bad mum? We both were told we were.
I just wish people would be more curious and less judgmental. There are more ways to be the best human you can be. And dads are equally important as mums to the kids.I think its the image of the endless giving woman, that doesnt sit well with me. Its because nowadays in this world it sometimes seems like women are not allowed to set boundaries. At least the pressure on women is accumulating. It worries me. Thats why I am looking for balance.
This story hits differently as you get older. There’s something beautiful and heartbreaking about being loved that much. It makes me want to appreciate the people who keep showing up for me, and make sure they know they’re loved even when I don’t need anything. Thank you for sharing it. ❤️
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