Trees make me happy. This particular tree above is one I fell in love with many years ago during my frequent drives between Austin and Houston on Highway 71. Serving as a mark to know where I am in relation to each city, no matter what season of the year, leaves or no leaves, this tree always looks beautiful to me.
My admiration for trees started long before I discovered this one in particular and through the years, I’ve reflected on why I think trees are amazing. Since trees are the tallest, longest-living organisms ever to grow on earth, it seems as though they may have a thing or two to teach us about life.
Think about how these may relate to your own self. Here are a few I have come up with:
- United We Stand- Trees in a forest that are close to one another become more tall, massive plants as they grow in groups, connecting by way of their roots and sharing sunlight.
- Ground Yourself- The solitary tree stands alone in one spot for its entire existence. It nurtures itself by growing roots deep into the ground to take in nutrients from the soil and use what it needs to grow, develop, and repair.
- Trust your Natural Protective System- Trees have grown in ways that give them super survival powers since they cannot move away from potential destructive conditions.
- Grow Your Roots to Stay Alive- The root system of a tree is vitally important to its continued survival. Roots help to anchor the tree into the soil, they store large amounts of energy reserves below the ground, and the roots absorb and transport the water and dissolved mineral nutrients to the rest of the tree.
- Give What You Can- Trees are very important to our existence as they provide us with what they have to give. From them we get the most essential part of living by producing oxygen so that we have clean air to breathe. They also provide us with wood for shelter and warmth along with a nice shade on a hot sunny day.
The next time you walk by a tree show it some gratitude by simply stopping for a moment to admire it, maybe water it if it hasn’t rained in a long time, or just give it a hug.