The Stillness of Trees

We can learn a lot from trees. Take note of their stillness, their strength, their nurturing of one another, their singularity, their connectedness, their beauty. They offer protection and a home for small birds and animals. Shade. Oxygen, our life’s blood. They ask for nothing back. They just are.

I have always felt a connection and affinity, with trees. It began, as so many things, with my mother. Growing up, we lived across the street from a beautiful park that used to be the estate of a prominent statesman. From the time I can remember we would walk there over the grounds and among the old growth trees. It’s one of my heart memories. My mother would suppose that certain trees were partners. One tall proud one, the father. A wider, spreading, embracing one, the mother. I find myself, even to this day, doing the same thing.

A lot has been written lately about spending time outside and the health benefits of doing so, forest bathing, etc. Books are numerous. Among them: The Three Day Effect by Florence Williams; The Overstory by Richard Powers; The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Hohlleben. This is not too surprising. It seems it took a while to realize it but finally people are coming full circle. Many ancient cultures believed trees housed spirit or had souls. It’s not hard to understand.

My eldest brother once planted a tree in the yard of our childhood home. It’s still there and flourishing. If I had one wish it would be this:  If you must cut down a tree for any reason, replace it. Plant another one. It’s not just a gift for you. It matters.

TIGANA- 2019 AUGUST BOOK SELECTION

I was given this book many years ago by my daughter. She had read it, loved it and recommended it to me. I kept it and intended to read it many times but because it’s quite a hefty tome, I put it off. Finally, because I was already reading a novel for my book club, I decided to try it on Audible. Aside from initially trying to keep up with the multiple characters and their names (this resolved quickly), it was wholly satisfying.  I loved this book as well. It is an epic fantasy, full of magic, a new world, a war for freedom, survival and hope. It also explores more than one unusual love story.

It has everything, but the thing that stood out for me was not only the beautiful writing but the characterizations. Each character is unique and multi-faceted. Each character takes a significant journey and each surprises.

Guy Gavriel Kay tells us at the end of the novel what inspired him. He says it was primarily memory; that without memory, without nostalgia for what “used to be,” men could live peacefully and without pain. I could not help but draw comparisons to the struggle of the American Revolution. Both were about a country struggling against tyranny. The difference was one sought to recapture what it used to be, the other was fighting to reach for what it could be. The novel reminds us of the power of good, integrity and the unbreakable human spirit.

Recommend.