Back to Fitness: Restoration

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Oak stump at Crozet Running

In the fall of 1913, about a mile west of The Square in Crozet a squirrel was busy preparing for the winter.  In a patch of forest, the squirrel found a bumper crop of acorns from a Red Oak tree and feverishly buried them for later eating in the winter.

As often happens, a few of these buried acorns were forgotten and remained covered under the soil, leaves, and winter snow.  

In the spring of 1914, one acorn germinated and a tiny seedling of an oak tree rose from the soil.  Field work, foraging animals, and exploring children all spared the fragile seedling that first spring, and it grew into a sapling, gaining the foundation to make it through its first winter. Woodrow Wilson was president, World War I had just started in Europe, and women will did not yet have the right to vote.   

The sapling slowly but surely grew into a mighty red oak.  It witnessed a century of farm culture in our corner of the world, and more recently, the change of its surroundings from a working orchard to a neighborhood of families and children.  

In July 2012, the powerful Derecho storm rolled through Crozet.  The mighty red oak tree, at 98 years of age, towered over its contemporaries in its small patch of forest. Unfortunately, its size and exposure made it susceptible to the immense winds, and after nearly a century of survival and contribution to its local habitat, the mighty red oak was blown down.

When Michelle and I were planning on opening up Crozet Running, we knew we wanted a natural look and both agreed that tree stumps instead of benches would be perfect seating.  In the common area of our neighborhood, there was a huge red oak blown over and I asked one of my friends, Dan Spearin, to go cut some tree stumps.  We cut three huge chunks of the red oak trunk and somehow got each of those 200 pound trunks into a wheelbarrow. With both of us using all of our leverage and strength, we wheeled those stumps out of the woods, down a trail, and then uphill about a quarter mile to my garage. Dan is a good friend indeed!

After some drying and sanding, they were ready for the store’s opening in the fall of 2013. Their natural beauty, massive size, and beautiful bark made them a wonderful addition to the store and they have been a hit ever since. Their sanded tops became even smoother from hundreds of customers who have sat on them. Countless new friendships have been made on these stumps, children jump and interact with them, and they are witnesses to new beginnings and even tears.  

The red oak was not finished changing, however. The wood continued to dry, and cracks started to appear. As the wood dried, it also started to shrink and separate away from the bark. I could tell I was going to have to do something about this, as I did not want to lose the beautiful bark. In vain, I poured wood glue down into the separation and tightened up the bark with ratchet straps and secured it all with finishing nails. I repeated this process a year later because of more bark separation, but finally this year I realized sadly that I was going to have to remove the bark.

I wasn’t sure what I would find. Would the surface be decayed or filled with holes? Would it be scarred with old glue and nails? Some restoration would be required for sure, but would it save them?

I used a crowbar to remove the bark from all three stumps. It was a mess: debris, decayed bark, nails, glue, and even some dead bugs. I removed loose parts, and then all the nails that I used to try to keep the stumps as they were. Once stripped down, next came sanding. Some new natural beauty began to show. The wood had wonderful staining from molds and microbes. The trunks’ contour from its 98 years of outward expansion was perfectly imperfect. All sorts of interesting channeling from the beetles and bugs that called this tree home were like a history map, showing that this wood did indeed live in the real world.  

In the end, the stumps were restored and now sit back in their original places in the store.  Underneath their fading exterior was a wonder of intricate beauty that is now revealed, ready to serve and support the people who visit.

I spin this tale as metaphor of our lives, both physical and emotional: our beginnings are all humble, in one way or another.

We all have a history. We have grown how we have grown and nothing can change that. But we should appreciate all of the beauty that we have seen, the world we have contributed to, as well as all the storms we have survived.

One day, a storm may come that knocks us down. We are no longer our former self. We will have to ask ourselves, do we lay where we fell and decay? Or, is there still purpose for us, despite the fact that we no longer stand as tall as we once did?

Sometimes, we need the help of friends to be restored. We simply can’t do everything ourselves. We have to ask for it, and we should appreciate the help when we receive it.

We don’t just magically appear at our new destination. No amount of wishful thinking will roll us uphill. There has to be a vision, dedication, and work.  

Change is constant. There will always be pressure. But a mighty oak doesn’t just disappear when it falls down.  

Sometimes we do things to change who we are on the outside. We need to be careful that these things don’t hurt us on the inside.

There will usually come a point in our lives where we will be stripped bare and exposed. Some of our mistakes may show and our imperfections will be visible. But with hard work and dedication, we can be as great as we once were, and our imperfections are often an inspiration for others to relate to.  

May you grow and form a strong foundation this spring! 

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