Ah! Have you Hugged “your” tree today? You know, the one that’s in your backyard, favorite park, or along the path you often go to for quietness. Have you Ever hugged a tree?
I began, consciously, hugging trees when I was a teenager, I don’t know why I didn’t start sooner. I usually would hug a tree in secrecy back then, I didn’t want to be seen or, more precisely, judged if I got “caught”.
There is such a calmness and softening of the heart when that connection is made. Sometimes, I imagine I become part of the tree, Lovingly being embraced, held and protected. As I hug a tree and feel the tough bark, I sometimes I breathe in deeply to smell the scent of faint butterscotch (that’s how ponderosa pine bark smells when the bark has been heated by the sun). As I breathe in, I know the tree is giving me oxygen to support my life. As I breathe out, I know I am giving carbon dioxide so I can support the tree. We breathe each other. We have a symbiotic relationship, we give to each other, knowingly, and unknowingly (with all plant life).
So have you hugged “your tree” or any tree today? Do it! Hug that tree! The one calling out to you! Or, if you feel a little shy (or goofy) about wrapping your arms (and sometimes your legs) around a tree, try leaning against it. Allow your spine to have full contact with the trunk, rest your head along the trunk if that feels good to your body. Take in a slow deep breath, then, slowly breath out. Do this about 5 times or more. Notice how your body responds.
Maybe even notice if you hear the tree talking to you. What is it saying? Does it have a message for you? Or is it just saying “Hello !. I see you, too. Thank you for seeing/acknowledging me.” Or, consider talking to the tree, be still and patient to hear the message the tree wants to give you.
