I wrote this poem a while back and thought it might be nice to be reminded today that life is full of exceptions to our preconceived notions. I find that realization hopeful in this day and time.

Happy Saturday.

Exceptions are Everywhere

Ever marvel at how life can surprise you?
If not, travel to Panama and visit just north of the Canal Zone
You'll find there a whole valley of square cottonwood trees
With rectangular trunks and square tree "rings"

Imagine stumbling upon this valley of square trees
Walking among the tall rectangular trunks
Wondering how this could have happened 
Realizing life is not quite as predictable as one might think

If trees can be square then what else might be different?
Oysters that can change their sex several times in a lifetime?
Silk-bearded clams?
Crabs that climb trees?

The answer is yes

Unexpected differences shock us
But also teach that exceptions are everywhere 
A pleasant surprise
A chance to broaden our understanding of the world
 

Where Trees are Square

A few miles north of the Panama Canal Zone is “the valley of square trees.” This is the only known place in the world where trees have rectangular trunks. They are members of the cottonwood family. Saplings of these trees now are being grown at the University of Florida to find out if they retain their squareness in a different environment. It is believed, however, that the shape is probably due to some unknown but purely local condition. That the cause is deep-seated is indicated by the fact that the tree rings, each representing a year’s growth, also are square.

From The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Strangest Things in the World: A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations of Nature