.....like a tree

Yogis,
Every now and then as I walk, I can’t help myself. I take pictures of tree trunks. Many. There are just certain days when each one I pass somehow catches my attention. Not looking up to see the wide reach of their branches or the patterns created in the sky by their leaves, but looking straight ahead which puts me eye level with the trunk. This is where I sense their soul resides. What I see as I stop is a unique being who appreciates being noticed.

Tree trunks are amazing!

I was thinking about this while sharing a moment with my dawn redwood tree’s trunk while weeding this morning. Shreds of her rust-colored bark lay beneath her and rough knots resembling eyes faced in my direction. I have relationships with many plants in the natural world but trees hold a special place. They are the most like us.

A tree stands on the ground with roots spread wide like toes and an upright trunk like our torso, covered with a skin of bark. Branches extend to the sides like arms and the canopy of leaves closely resembles the top of our head. Both of us reaching for the sky.

Like humans every single trunk is different. Some dark and some light, while others like the sycamore, change their minds halfway up. Smooth like the beech which begs to have love notes carved into her surface or deeply ridged as the oak. There are those with excellent posture and those that are a bit curvy……even sensual perhaps. Some carry their warts with pride and others glow with a clear complexion. Yet each one magnificent when you look deeply. Like us.

They move through the seasons offering lessons along the way. Showing us that spring is for growth and renewal, summer to sit quietly under her shade, fall to let go of all that is not essential and taking time in winter for deep rest. And throughout they set the example of what it means to be strong and steady. Dependable. Stand close to a tree’s trunk and you can’t help but feel it.

What they breathe out, we breathe in. What we breathe out, they draw in with gratitude. The branching tubes of our lungs even resemble the root systems of many trees. 

In return I care for them when they are sick, call for help if they have a wound, trim their branches and rake up their leaves. I remove the ivy, and most importantly, give them my attention. Reciprocity.

I have hugged tree trunks, rested my back up against them and sat on their notches. There are certain ones that I pat each time I pass, ones that have watched over me on this property for thirty-five years now, and two small seedlings that I am nurturing in hopes they will become the grandfathers of the future.

What tree trunks are around you? Take a moment to notice. They will appreciate it!

Get to know a tree by its trunk,
SARAH