Giant Trees From Around The World: Fir Trees

Douglas, the little tree, lived by the river, at the bottom of a dark valley. Douglas looked up at all the giant trees around him. When the wind blew the other trees mocked him. But he grew to accept their criticism. The river water flowed both ways, in the morning as it flowed to the mountains the water was crystal clear and fresh. But in the evening the water flowing back from the mountains was dirty with mud. While the other trees rejected the evening water, Douglas absorbed it all through his good roots, keen to grow and be like the other trees. Storms would sometimes pass, and some of the higher trees would be toppled, or lose their crowns.
But Douglas was so low, and hidden away he was protected and would just quietly absorb the extra rain water from the storm.
Douglas lived mostly in the dark. Often on sunny days, he looked up from down below at the other trees, their tops bathed in the light, and wished he could reach it. One day he decided to close off from the World. He went into a deep meditation. In his own silent hermitage he only absorbed light and water. He no longer looked and listened to the outside World comparing himself with others. Many years went by like this until one evening a great storm came to pass. The trees howled and wailed so loudly that Douglas awoke. 'The wind is too strong. What to do? What to do?' they cried. Suddenly with a great voice he replied: 'The answer is blowing in the wind'. The trees bowed towards Douglas. As the storm gradually gave way to the brightness of the golden dawn, that touched his crown, Douglas could now see that he had become the king of the forest.

Praise and criticism are like one river flowing opposite ways. Either way it can help you to grow.
Stay humble, the sea is so big because it stays low.
Look up at others and things will look up for you.
But no meed to compare yourself with others, everyone is unique, everyone is incomparable
Just do your best and do what you need to do.

Want to meet Douglas? See the picture below.

One of the UK's tallest trees

The graceful Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) at the Hermitage, near Dunkeld, Perthshire, is one of the tallest trees in the UK. It nestles at the bottom of a steep gorge, with its roots in the turbulent River Braan... It is thought that the tree began life about 1875 as a self-sown seedling from the grove of older specimens on the opposite bank of the river. Its relatively young age makes its impressive vertical growth all the more remarkable.

(information and photo from http://www.forestry.gov.uk/)