Lessons from Trees
One of my favorite things this time of year is to lie in the shade of a big, luxurious tree and look up through the lacy leaves at the blue sky above. Add a little breeze, and it’s like icing on the cake, with frothy, white clouds drifting by and the hushed sound of the wind through the branches.
As a little girl, no one could keep me away from trees. I loved to climb, and I would wiggle my way up to the perfect hiding spot with a birds’ eye view. Other trees were ideal for fort-building, with “rooms” made from natural clusters of trunks and lots of foliage for protection. Then there was the thrill of the tire swing that hung from one sturdy branch in my grandmother’s backyard. To this day, trees still offer me a sense of familiar reassurance, comfort, and respite.
Metaphorically-speaking, trees represent a perfect and dynamic balance between being steadily rooted into the ground and the juxtaposed perpetual up- and out-ward growth of the branches. With its reaching branches, a tree’s potential seems limitless, yet simultaneously, it is steadily rooted deeply into the earth. Roots are the veins by which the tree obtains nourishment and stability. It is through the roots that a tree is able to fulfill its potential. The stronger and healthier the roots, the further and fuller the tree can grow.
Our wellbeing is similarly dependent on our “roots” as the means to obtaining our nourishment and endurance. When we fortify ourselves through our roots (e.g. nutrients, social support, physical activity, healthy thoughts, etc.), our growth potential is limitless. We must be firmly rooted within, thereby achieving the stability, sustenance, and strength necessary for us to grow. Our roots make it possible to branch out, so to speak, stretching the limitless potential of our dreams and endeavors.
If we are not growing, reaching toward our potential, we are like a tree without branches or leaves. We are left with a bare trunk. Void of the “branches” of hope, ambition, and determination, and lacking the “foliage” of goals fulfilled and ambitions realized, the dynamic process is interrupted. Without a tree’s leaves, photosynthesis, the process by which the tree obtains the sunlight (i.e. energy) necessary to fuel itself, is impaired. Likewise, if we lack aspirations, goals, and the desire to grow, we also become deficient in the energy necessary to sustain us. Our system becomes imbalanced, and our potential to thrive is severely inhibited. Disrupting the delicate balance between having solid roots and flourishing foliage can place the entire being (whether botanical or human) at risk of deterioration… literally and metaphorically, withering away.
Finding balance is a lifelong challenge for many of us (myself included), but perhaps the trees we enjoy during these summer days in our backyard or neighborhood park will serve as a reminder to us. When we notice the roots of the trees around us, may we be mindful of ways we can stabilize, ground, and nourish ourselves. When we seek the cool shade of green, lush branches, may we be inspired to reach out with higher aspirations and further our dreams. Enjoy the dynamic juxtaposition of feeling rooted and stretching out and up!