To Be a Tree

Though summer has officially been here since Beltane, today was the first day that really felt like summer for me. It was hot enough that sitting in the sun for more than a few minutes felt a little like frying, the grass was damp with dew, and I pulled the hammock out of storage for the first time this year. After a bit of reading (a fantasy book, if anyone's interested), I took a moment to just be. The clouds had begun to roll in and it was getting chillier, so I lay back in the hammock, closed my eyes and just breathed. I focused on feeling my own energy and the wind on my skin, and when I opened my eyes again, everything seemed so much more vibrant. The leaves were greener, the wind fresher, and I was calmer. So I took my meditation a step further and tried to connect with one of the trees that supported the hammock. Did you know that trees have heartbeats? They are very, very slow and very, very deep, but also, quite possibly, the most amazing thing I have ever felt.

So, today, I challenge you single reader to be a tree. Take a moment, or three or four if you can, close your eyes and simply let yourself be. It doesn't have to be a formal meditation, but if you want to make it one, be my guest. Focus on your breathing for a bit, count it out if you like, and try to feel your energy flowing through your veins. If you can or want to, let that energy branch out into the objects nearest you (this works best outside, I've found), and feel the energy in those things. Feel the life around you: the heartbeat of the trees, the joy of the grass, the determination of the weeds. Let that life flow through you, energizing, ground and centering you. When you're ready, very slowly and carefully pull your energy back into your heart, and come back to yourself. If you're out there reading this and decide to try this meditation, please let me know how it worked for you! I'm curious, because it was just what I needed today.