Lesson from visiting #ThatWanakaTree
#ThatWanakaTree — The official hashtag of this famous tree in New Zealand
That late afternoon in March of 2020, when our family went to witness the remarkable Wanaka Tree, I have a sudden urge of hopping into the lake, swimming along the ducks that stroll around. I asked my brother if he was up for it.
He said: “Don’t be silly. We don’t come here to swim. Also, who’s going to swim in weather like this?”
I look around, there are a lot of people in the area, but yes, nobody comes here to swim. They all come for a walk, and the temperature of the pool is probably around 14 Celcius degrees, not freezing, but for someone growing up in an equatorial country, swimming in a cold lake is uncommon.
I don’t want to be the ‘odd one’ in the family and be seen as a weirdo among strangers since none of them swims in the lake.
Right when I almost give up the idea, I saw somebody swimming in the lake.
I thought: “I don’t mind being the odd one, you guys don’t understand the joy of life.”
I took the car keys to get my swimming outfit, change it, and dive right into the lake. I am not bothered by how others might see me, I don’t care if they do. I enjoyed every moment of it swimming in the lake.
Best part? When I came up to the shore, I heard a child from a Korean family pointing and me and asking his dad. “Dad can we swim in the lake as well? It looks fun.” I met the father’s gaze, smiled and nodded as an act of courtesy before I leave. Not long after, I saw the family having fun in the lake.
Looking back, I think that is the moment I realize whether or not you intend it, what you do influences people. I try my best to act well & responsibly (I don’t think I succeed every time), because influence happens everywhere, directly or indirectly, major or minor, and my action matters to others.
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Sadly, two weeks after, I heard the devastating news that some branches of #ThatWanakaTree got sawn off by some maniac.
