A Gardener’s Refuge
By
Amy McDowell
“Sometimes I walk into my front yard and I
can feel all my trees just vibrating love.” --Oprah Winfrey.
I was delighted to read that, for I have
felt that same powerful energy emanating from trees. It’s like a buzzing in the
air that you can only sense when you are alone and your soul is quiet and
peaceful.
Once while I was attending a horticulture
conference, a speaker told the crowd—perhaps 700 of us—to go home and hug a
tree. My first reaction was a light smile, and then a lift of my eyebrows when
the speaker told us he was not joking. Seriously, he said, hug a tree.
Determined but feeling bashful, I waited
until the next day. Although my back yard was pretty well isolated from the
neighbors, I stepped out timidly and glanced around. A gorgeous white oak was
the closest. I looked up to the canopy of branches and my breathing slowed. I
felt a deep, sincere reverence for all living things and the fantastic energy
that connects us all.
Touching the rough bark, I wondered whether
the tree sensed my presence. I know that it did. Reaching my arms around, I
hugged the tree and rested the side of my face on the trunk. Tears of emotion
surged suddenly and crested at the edges of my lower eyelids. I released the tree
and took a step back, breathing deeply. It seemed my slow breaths drew not just
oxygen, but a quiet energy into my soul.
I urge you to go outside and hug a tree.
Shrug off those trivial “I feel silly” thoughts and instead think about
yourself and the tree. Try to take in the reach of that tree—its branches
extending into the heavens, and its roots stretching out from the trunk to a
distance two and a half times the height of the canopy.
Gardening is about recognizing our alliances
with all things. Abandon your fantasies of gaining control and welcome a new
harmony into your garden.
