Rich Life Lessons from Trees

Trees have so much more to give us than the appreciation we feel for their beauty and color. We consider their beauty to be one of the many gifts and blessings of nature – and yes, they are.

Here’s another valuable gift — I like to think of trees as powerful teachers of how to live my life.

Have you ever meditated on the varying characteristics of different species of trees?  It’s a compelling experience. I find it mot helpful to have an image to visualize, to get me out of the mind and to imagine what it feels like to be that tree. Here are a couple of examples:

Take the large trees that are tall and stately their core
foundation are strong. They stand firm in the elements of nature.  When focusing for instance on an oak, or an elm or fir, you can feel the energy of standing strong in your beliefs regardless of any chaos around you.

Then there are the times life delivers the unexpected, and you need to be limber – to bend and not break. Here is an opportunity to learn from the palm trees. Hurricanes strike with destructive winds blowing, rain coming in sheets and the palm tree bends without breaking — it survives.

What tree do you consider a favorite? It might be fun and revealing to spend a few moments in meditation with the tree and see how it makes you feel. What messages might it have for you?

I sense that each tree is aware of itself and is aware of its purpose. At no time is the tree wondering, “am I doing it right.” It isn’t comparing its experience with that of another kind of tree. Even trees that lose their leaves in winter don’t consider going into hiding because they’re temporarily barren.

Trees are aware that this is the life they are here for — not yesterday, not tomorrow — now. A tree is in a state of total surrender to the perfection of its own being and experience.

Isn’t this a superb description of living free?!