Trees, our great teachers

It was a beautiful summer day and there I was at home sad and a bit depressed. I wondered why I meet more people who just wanted to use me for my generosity and gifts and leave me like I was nothing to them. I was tired of these friendships that were draining me to the point of depression and I was craving for something better, something filling. I was craving for the kind of friendship that nourishes, supports and uplifts me as I did the same for them. In my emotional state, I had an urge to go to the park and sit by a big tree to connect and meditate under. And so I did. I got in my car and drove to my favorite beautiful park.

I went and found myself a big tree with huge branches and the greenest leaves. I sat underneath it and took in 3 big deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, relaxing deeper and deeper with each breath all while trying not to burst out crying in public. I went into a meditative state, connecting my roots to the roots of the tree, my body with the trunk and my upper body with the branches and leaves reaching high up into the heavens. I became the tree, strong, steady, whole and connected. And it is in this powerful state that I received this wisdom from the trees.

The Leaves, the branches and the roots

There are three types of people you will meet in your lifetime and they can be categorized as the Leaves, Branches and the Roots. You meet many people in your everyday life. Some bring us joy, some bring us happiness and others bring us pain and sadness. How do we know if the people we meet in the next minute will bring us happiness or pain? We really don’t know but here are some things to keep in mind when meeting people.

The Leaves
They are beautiful, alive, vibrant and bring in a sense of freedom. They flow with life and dance with the wind in a hypnotizing way. They teach you to brig lightness and playfulness into your life. But they are not meant to stay. The people who are like the Leaves of a tree can be unstable and unreliable. They sway with the wind. One minute they are there and the next they are gone with the wind. And just like the seasons, they died every year just to be reborn in the next year. They key is to learn from them and release them.

The branch

The branch of a tree teaches us to stretch for what you desire, to reach higher up for our goals and dreams. People who are like the Branches of a tree can fool you. They look like you can rely on them. They look like you can trust them. They look stable. They look like they will be there for you. But just when you put your trust in them, just when you rely on them, just when you think they will be there for you they break off and you fall. You can never tell if a branch can sustain your weight or break on you. And that’s exactly how these types of people are. The key is to learn from them how to reach for your dreams and visions and ask for the strength you need to reach further.
The Root
The last types of people are the Roots. We know and have learned in school that the roots provide the whole tree with essential nutrients and water. The root sustains the life of the tree. A tree would die without its roots. These are the types of people you want in your life. They are the people you can rely and depend on to nourish and sustain you. You can count on them to mirror to you strength, depth, foundation, support, and so much more. They will guide you to create deeper and stronger roots in life so that when the wind blows hard, threatening to uproot you, you will be safe and strong in the face of life’s many hardships. These types of people are stable and are not afraid to dive in deep with you. They are certainly not afraid of the dark, theirs or yours. You can believe that they are there to stay.

I gasp and opened my eyes and said to the tree, thank you for this wisdom. I will share it with others so they too may learn from you ancient one. It was like a light bulb had turned on within my being. I got it!

So look into your life, look at the people you have around you and surround yourself with only the best of the best. Surround yourself with people who love you, who care for you, nourish you, lift you up and sustain you. People who will be there for you regardless of what state you are in. You are the roots for others; why not choose others roots to surround you.