The Tree

There’s an adage that says: people don’t throw stones at a fruitless tree.

For the longest time, I understood that to mean one thing, visibility attracts attention.
Success invites pressure. When you are producing, you become a target.

And in many ways, that is true.

But recently, I started thinking about something else.
I have also seen people sit under a fruitless tree. Not because it had anything to offer in terms of fruit, but because it gave shade.
A place to rest.
A place to pause.
A place to breathe.

That made me curious.

Because now, there are two trees:
One is fruitful, people gather around it, reach for it, even throw stones at it. It is desired, visible, and constantly engaged.
The other is fruitless, yet people still come. Not to take, but to stay. Not to harvest, but to find comfort.

In that contrast, I found something deeper.

Maybe value is not always about what you produce.
Maybe value is also about what your presence provides.

Because the truth is, people gather where their needs are met.
Sometimes, they come because you have something they want. Other times, they stay because you give them something they didn’t even realize they needed.

One attracts attention. The other earns trust.
One is celebrated for its output. The other is remembered for its impact.

If you look closely, you’ll realize this isn’t just about trees.

It’s about people.

There are seasons where your life is defined by fruit, your results, your achievements, your visibility, your wins.
In those seasons, people will come. They will notice you. They will engage you. Some will even challenge you.

But there are also seasons where you may feel like the fruit is gone, where you are not producing at the same level, where the noise is quieter, where the spotlight has shifted.

Yet, if you have built something deeper than output, people will still come. Not for what you have. But for who you are.
Your presence.
Your wisdom.
Your calm.
Your ability to hold space.

That is a different kind of value. A quieter kind. But often, a more lasting one.
Because fruit feeds for a moment, but shade sustains.

So the question is not just,

What are you producing?

The better question is:
What do people experience when they come close to you?

In the end,
It is not just the fruit that defines the tree.

It is also the shade.