Trees are in Prom Mode this month.

I wonder how trees feel this time of year, bursting with blossoms. Overdressed? Or finally hitting their stride?

When a tree goes to Sears or Macy’s to find a Spring outfit, does she head directly to the formal wear and chose a fluffy floral confection, or does she drag her roots down the aisle slowly, looking longingly at the track suits and blue jeans as she trudges along.

Surely not every tree wants to look like, well, like all the other trees in bloom this week. But tradition cannot be ignored and for trees heading for the debutante ball, there are certain expectations which must be met.

The obvious things can’t change. She’s not going to have a slimmer trunk before the big event. She put on a little weight over the winter and there isn’t time to diet it off. She can’t rely on the wind for exercise – sometimes there is wind and sometimes there isn’t. And surgery is out. The very thought of it makes her cringe.

Still, there are reasonable variants and accessories a tree can get away with – matching squirrel earrings, a rakishly tilted bird nest behind her leftmost limb, a delicate ivy necklace, and moss slippers. So she does her best, fluffing up her branches to make the best of her blossoms and swaying gently in the breeze. It’s hard to stand out, especially when one is surrounded by younger trees.

She remembers what it’s like to have a slender trunk, soft velvety petals, smooth bark. But even though looking beautiful is more work now, it’s less stressful. She knows what she is, and it’s good enough.

Rose Grey has written three romance novels and is hard at work on a fourth. If you liked this post, come visit the rest of the blog at www.rosegreybooks.com. Hot Pursuit and Not As Advertised are available as ebooks and as paperbacks online.