A Tale of a Plum Tree

I love planting trees. It feels like a blessing that my house has a large area where I can grow different kinds of local fruit trees. We often collect seeds from the fruits we eat and throw them into the soil, and later we discover new plants growing there.

About five years ago, we found a small plum plant. We collected it and planted it beside the playground.

One day, while playing, a little boy from our neighborhood stepped on it and damaged it badly. I felt very sad and thought we would not be able to save it. But my husband took great care of it. He built a fence around the plant and somehow managed to protect it. It started growing quickly, and within a few months, it reached my waist.

Later, we hired a laborer to clean the yard and remove unnecessary plants. By mistake, he cut a part of the plum tree. I ran quickly to stop him when I saw it. Again, we thought it would not survive, but luckily, it did.

After some time, it grew into a big tree. Its branches spread wide, and it looked bigger than its age. But suddenly, a strong storm hit our area. A big mahogany tree fell on our plum tree and almost destroyed it completely.

This time, we were sure we had lost her. I was so heartbroken that I got emotional. I couldn’t bear to see her like that. I called it “her” and there is a reason behind it.

We finally cut the tree, leaving only the main branch. I often looked at that broken part and missed it in the yard. But a few days later, while sitting nearby, I noticed some green leaves and small buds growing from it. My happiness knew no bounds! I called my husband and showed him.

The tree came back to life again and started growing. Now, it has become a mature tree. This year, it gave us a large number of plums, which I shared with my relatives, colleagues, and others.

I addressed the plum tree “she” because it resembles me and many other women around the world. I love it the most among all the trees in my house, not just for its beauty, but for its strength, its ability to hold on, its willpower to survive in disasters, and to grow again as if nothing had happened.

In my life, many times I thought I might have to give up my studies. But, thanks to God, that did not happen.

I belong to a loving and caring family. They gave me all the happiness and luxuries I needed. However, they did not give me the freedom to make my own choices like, what to wear, where to go, or even what to study. This always caused me deep pain.

When I met my husband, who was my private tutor at that time, I felt that I could find my freedom with him. He was mature, understanding, and supportive. I fell in love with him and decided to marry him at a very young age. My family was against this decision and now I understand that they were right in many ways. Still, I married him when I was in 12th grade, and my family cut off all ties with me.

I became mentally very depressed and devastated. I thought I would not be able to continue my studies. Then one day, I received a call from my mother. From her, I understood that they were worried about my education and future. I told her not to worry and promised that one day I would show her my master’s degree certificate.

Luckily, my husband supported me and always motivated me to continue my studies. With the support of my in-laws, I started going to college again. Just before my HSC exam, I experienced my first pregnancy and also my first miscarriage. I was physically and mentally broken and could not even think about the exam, although my preparation had been quite good.

In the end, I gathered my strength and completed all the exams. I passed with a good result, even though I had not expected it.

After that, I started preparing for university admission. Suddenly, I found out that I was pregnant again. Because of my previous miscarriage, my doctor strictly advised me not to travel and suggested complete bed rest to avoid any complications. I had a dream of studying at a public university, but at that time, I also deeply wanted a child. After my miscarriage, I was afraid that I might not become a mother.

So, I made a difficult decision. I chose not to sit for public university admission exams and instead enrolled in a local college under the National University. I got admitted to an Honours program in Economics.

At the beginning of my first year, I gave birth to my elder daughter. She was a premature baby and often fell sick at an early age. I had no one to take care of her, and I was always worried about her. It became very difficult for me to attend college or continue my studies.

So, I decided to pause my studies for one year and give my full attention to my daughter.

That year was very painful for me. Many times, I thought I would never be able to complete my education and that my journey had ended there. But then I reminded myself that I must not give up. I decided to try again.

The next year, I retook the National University admission exam. I prepared myself, sat for the exam, and got selected to study English, which was my first choice.

At that time, my daughter was in a better condition, and I found a reliable relative to take care of her while I went to college. After that, with many small ups and downs, I finally completed my Honours with a satisfactory result. Later, I also completed my Master’s degree. During my Master’s exam I was pregnant with my second daughter.

When I got my Master’s result, I felt so relieved and proud because I was finally able to fulfill the promise I had once made to my mother.

Throughout this journey, my husband supported me a lot. He never wanted me to compromise with my studies.

We, as women, are like that plum tree. We survive in difficult situations and overcome all the obstacles that come along our journey. It is truly a blessing when we have supportive people beside us. But even if we don’t, our own strong willpower, motivation, confidence, and hard work can be enough.

So, don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Just hold on a little longer and keep living like the plum tree.