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The world is a place of unexpected connections, where the most unlikely encounters can spark the most inevitable loves. Things that shouldn’t be, that shouldn’t come true, sometimes become something more powerful—a force that grows deep roots, undeniable proof that the pull of love is rooted in fate, always meant to be. No matter the forces that might pull it apart, love will always find a way to triumph. Let me tell you a story of two trees, a story of falling hard in love, a love that was tested and pulled apart, but in the end, love won.

Two saplings sprouted into the harsh world, not knowing what life would provide. Not knowing what existed beyond their immediate world besides grounding their roots into the earth, attempting to survive in unforgiving soil. As they grew, they learned about other experiences, other life: the blue jays that rested on their branches, the robins that fed on the worms proliferating in their root systems, the passing coyotes that rested in their shadows. Yet none of these creatures were something they could connect with. These trees were just simple plants—they could not communicate or connect with these other beings. There was a longing for something more. The two young trees grew taller, their trunks expanding, their roots digging deeper, their branches growing longer, providing life for other creatures but never able to truly connect with them.

And when their branches did grow long enough, they were able to reach toward each other—sampling the air between them, growing so close yet remaining so far away. But they found each other, found someone who spoke their language, someone who understood who they were. This touch of recognition brought about a drive, a need to connect with the other. And they fell hard for each other.

The more they grew, the more their branches intertwined, the more they tangled in each other’s embrace, falling deeper in love. They grew a strong bond, their trunks leaning into each other, their branches becoming inseparable. They became one. They became so intertwined, so dependent on each other, you could not tell where one branch ended and the other began.

This dependence was not healthy. While it may have seemed they were bent over branches in love, it was hard for either to find root in their individual sense of self.

Then one day a fierce storm passed through, felling many trees in the park. Our two love trees still stood, but their tangled branches were gone. They were not able to connect anymore, they could not communicate with each other. They were alone again.

As time passed, they had to learn to grow again by themselves, had to learn who they were as individuals. But eventually, as they grew into their own separate selves, their branches reached out once more, spanning the distance between them and finding the love they once had. But this time, instead of tangling their branches together in desperate knots, they learned to respect each other’s individuality. They learned the importance of rooting themselves while also connecting with each other, embracing their branches in harmony, not as a tangled mess.