.......the benevolence of trees

Yogis,

When asked about my town, my answer is always ‘I live in the woods only a few miles from downtown DC’.  It’s true….. or at least it has been.

When I moved into Cabin John 31 years ago turning up our narrow windy street was like entering a forest.  There was a noticeable hush. A visceral change of energy. A canopy of green that only allowed for dappled sunlight. Yes, we always had the planes overhead, and in the winter with the leaves down and the wind blowing the right way, we are reminded how close the beltway truly sits. But oh, all the trees!

The ancients. The wise old oak, mature maple, sturdy beech and water loving sycamore. Tulip poplar with the blanket of flowers she drops down in the spring much to the bee’s delight. All surrounding us like doting grandparents. Offering homes to the woodpecker, food for the deer and the very air we breathe as mere mortals. Even the fallen rotting branches creating an entire ecosystem that would take us years to comprehend. 

Quite often when someone first spends time here with me they ask, “Aren’t you afraid a tree will fall on the house?” Recently the question has arisen more often, showing me there is now a general fear of trees that has somehow snuck into our societal consciousness.  Slowly but surely my friends the trees are making their way onto the ‘what to be afraid of’ list that now includes mosquitos, fox, the sun, thunderstorms and everyday germs.  No, I say. Trees are benevolent. And I mean it.

Out front sits the magnificent oak I have watched through my windows my entire adult life. Providing much welcome shade on hot summer days, nesting spots for our squirrels and twigs for my fires. Yesterday I measured and determined it to be over 210 years old. The beech trees that protect my fire circle –a young 160 years. All sat here before the civil war and have witnessed the so-called progress we humans have made. None have harmed a soul. Can you or I say the same?

Yet the cutting continues. Many lots clear cut for new homes. Others removed or trimmed back so much they suffer to keep us from any power inconveniences. And as underground communicators and caretakers of each other, what is done on one property affects all the others. Trees are social beings and work as a team. We need them more than they need us.

No, the trees don’t scare me. In fact we all have to go some way and I think I would much prefer to be taken from this body I am occupying by the spirit of a tree, than many of the other options which are much more likely.  I trust the trees…..and I know they know that.

Grateful to have trees to hug,
SARAH

My funny grasshopper friend