So I was talking with this tree a while back, John.

"Universe..." it said to me.

"Yeah?"

"When I come back, I don't want to be just wood."

"Well," I thought aloud, "what's wrong with being wood?"

"It's hard," the tree said, without cracking a smile. "When I come back, I want to be soft and furry so that I’ll be loved by children."

And I thought... and thought... and thought... and finally asked, "Why not be tall and strong, just as you are, and be loved by children?"

And the children came to play.

Tallyho,
     The Universe