What a Tree Taught Me

I was on vacation in the woods with old friends. We pitched tents and made our own breakfasts and hung out together, singing, playing cards, and knitting (for me, especially). And I got to spend time with trees on this particular land which have watched me buzz by them once a year for decades. They spoke to me this year.

Trees shed their waste on the outside. A tree will drop bark that it no longer needs or it will stop sending nutrition to a branch that no longer serves it. I often pick up firewood from under my maple trees, thanking them for the warmth.

We humans shed our waste from the inside. We ingest our nutrition instead of drawing it up from the ground and we excrete our waste from internal organs, not by pushing it out to our skin so the wind can take it.

Being reminded of that difference made clear to me that when we continue to keep in our bodies chemicals, energy, and other materials which no longer serve us, we are holding onto toxins. I was also reminded of my visits to the Lily Dale’s healing temple, where the healer always tells me to let go of those things that no longer serve me. As people, we want to hold onto things, fearing loss more than fearing suffocating ourselves. And by holding on, we are suffocating ourselves.

The other message was that ingesting substances which do not serve us takes away the space needed for good nutrition. When we eat sugar before dinner, for example, we lose our interest in the vegetables and protein that we should be having. And then our wellness and energy feel the loss.

Shedding is normal and perpetuates the circle of life. Let go and make room in your hands and your home for better things.