Neighbor Spotlight: Sally Richardson

Neighbor’s “Wishing Tree” Blooms Peace and Positivity

We're All Neighbors

10/14/20252 min read

"It’s going to be okay one way or another." That’s the message Sally Richardson hopes to send to every person who walks past her yard and spots the prominent Crepe Myrtle tree adorned in hundreds of cheerful, multicolored ribbons. The “Wishing Tree” is a fixture of the Walnut Creek Neighborhood and—by extension—the Northern Walnut Creek Greenbelt and Walnut Bluffs Trail, which exits into the neighborhood next to Sally’s house.

Each fabric ribbon dangling from the tree represents the wish of a community member. Neighbors and local residents visiting the park and trail are invited to choose a ribbon from the box under the tree and fasten it to a branch to symbolize their hope or dream. “One father and son ride here two miles almost every day to make a wish,” Sally says. “I really feel like everybody needs something to boost their mood right now. Even if that’s just tying a ribbon.”

The idea for the wishing tree came about during the pandemic, when Sally was inspired by a similar art project in East Austin.

“COVID hit and nobody could interact, so I started tying ribbons on the tree,” she says. “People just started doing it. I loved it because I could stand at my kitchen window and watch people being happy.”

Sally originally moved to the Walnut Creek Neighborhood in 2011, and after moving away for a few years, decided to return in 2017 with her sons Connor and Louis. She says the sense of community and access to nature were the biggest draws for her.

Because her home is located right next to a trailhead, Sally is in a prime location for connecting with neighbors, and she has found several creative ways to do so. Her contributions include placing gnomes and pumpkins along the trail to bring joy and whimsy to passersby, setting out a water station for park visitors during the Austin heat, and volunteering her yard as a space to host Halloween events and the neighborhood information kiosk.

Sally says that it doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money to give back to your community. Something as simple as scattering native wildflower seeds when you take a walk or recycling materials you already have for a community art project can make an impact, she says.

Sally says she hopes the Wishing Tree reminds people that even a small effort can make a difference, and a single wish can brighten your day—or someone else’s. In a world that can be scary and overwhelming, sending a wish out into the universe can be a meditative act of surrender.

“It’s a little bit of agency over what you can control,” Sally says. “Sometimes I think letting go is the best thing you can do.”