Waiting on Three Tree

Biking is a new pastime for me. There’s something therapeutic about that weightless feeling of gliding around the bending roads of the south Seattle coastal neighborhoods. Maybe it was growing up in flat Central Florida, but I don’t remember biking being as hard as it is now. Sure, going downhill is a thrill, but the bluffs the line the Puget Sound quickly humble the casual cyclist like myself.

I was only a couple miles into my ride as I slid down into the beach park on Three Tree point to stop for a break and prepare for the climb up towards Burien. Three Tree Point protrudes into the Puget Sound from the mainland Seattle area just south of Alki point and is hard to miss when you look at the map of the area from a Birds Eye view. Even though it’s an obvious landmark topologically, it’s not so much culturally in the Seattle area. It’s tucked just South of the city of Seattle and doesn’t have many attractions to draw folks down from the more urban areas. This means that today there were only a couple of fellow beachgoers as I rolled into the park that sits on the southern end of the point, facing Mt. Rainier. There were a couple of girls lounging on the scattered driftwood and their swimwear made it appear they had just finished a dip in the water. A brave feat in the middle of December that I certainly would not be attempting. Just to my left was a mother entertaining her small child, probably just a year old if I were to guess. The child smiled and laughed as she was just beginning to get the courage to walk, using the wood they were sitting on as a handrail to guide her wobbly steps. Then there was me, sitting on the bench with my bike leaning to my right as I hydrated and waited to make the windy climb through the forest that was ahead of me.

Waiting seems to be the theme of my life at the moment. Today is December 15th and we’re about a week past Grace’s due date and there is something exhilarating and at the same time excruciatingly painstaking about waiting for the birth of a child. For some reason we thought she would definitely be early and in the worst case, on time. But now a week past the due date, the mood has settled and we are beginning to take our first lesson that Jane (this is what we plan to name her) is willing to offer us. As much as we’d like to think we are in control, all we can do is simply create the best environment possible for her and hope for the best.

As I sat on Three Tree Point, I reflected about the last several weeks of waiting. The warped driftwood that is such an iconic piece of Pacific Northwest beaches reminded me of this lesson in control. Driftwood plays an important role in beach health in the PNW, it fights against erosion and provides shelter for birds and fish eggs that are critical to the health of the ecosystem. While critical, these accidental anchors are just that - completely accidental. They have no agency in when they arrive on the shore and no choice in when they will return out to sea again. So, as we prepare for this new phase of parenthood, I’m reminded and inspired to be the driftwood in my family. An anchor of peace and stability, but resolved to the forces of the world that are beyond my control. It’s with this attitude that we patiently wait for Jane’s arrival.

After 15 minutes or so of relishing in the rare midwinter sun puncturing through the blanket of clouds, I packed up my bag and prepared to continue my bike ride. As I huffed and puffed my way up the bluff around the point, I got peek-a-boo views of the snow tipped Olympic mountains across the sound. On the water, cargo ships carrying Christmas gifts for all of the Seattleites scooted across the sound. I crested the final bend and slipped into Burien to enjoy a treat for the success of my effort. Back to waiting…