Once upon a time, there was a sapling atop a hill in the middle of a field. The sun shone on the rolling green, and the sapling's leaves stretched to take in the light. They stretched so hard they grew longer and wider, putting forth new stems and shoots.
The warm earth cradled the sapling, nurturing it and sheltering it. A root dug downward.
From out of the blue sky a tiny bird appeared, climbing and diving through the leaves. It paused to rest on an upper branch.
"Bird," said the tree after a while had passed. "Bird, how is it that you sing with such carefree energy? Aren't you horribly frightened not to have the safety of earth?"
"Tree," whistled the bird, "if only you knew what it was to fly."
"But if only you knew what it was to stand firm in the strongest wind--can you truly be happy in the buffeting wind?"
They sat in silence, both dwelling in thought. The bird shifted from foot to foot. Now and then the bird hopped and fluttered. The tree rustled and flexed its limbs.
"I can't imagine being bound to the earth."
"I can't imagine being so small and frail."
"Don't you worry," asked the bird, "that your root will grow so strong and fast that you'll never move? Even an inch?"
"Don't you worry," replied the tree, "that your wings will grow tired and you'll lose your ability to fly? Then what?"
"I hadn't thought about that," said the bird.
"I hadn't thought about that," mused the tree.
The wind blew gently, and the leaves rustled and the feathers ruffled. And still the two sat in pensive silence.
When the sun had moved to a different vantage point, the tree spoke.
"I'm starting to wish this root weren't so strong."
"And I'm starting to wonder about the strength of my wings."
Filled with doubt, the bird hopped to another branch. The tree dropped a few leaves.
"I need to fly away and think about things," it chirped.
"I need to consider this root for a while," the tree murmured.
The wind moaned in the branches as the bird took wing. Years went by. One afternoon, the bird sailed and soared and dipped and dived until its wings gave out and it thudded to the earth at the foot of a thick gnarled trunk.