Go Hiking and Hug A Tree

Am I kidding? No, nature is healthy for you. The air is saturated with more oxygen in the forest. You should be thankful for the trees. But do you really need to hug one? Well, don’t actually hit a tree, but I pat one every time I pass. I see this tree as a symbol for all the trees and because I go by it week after week, and because it is so majestic I just have to recognize it some way.

At first I thought I was the only crazy person out here having fond thoughts about trees until I listened to Hal Elrod, author of the Miracle Morning series of books, talk about the trees in his back yard. He went so far as to make faces for the trees and decorate them.

A Little Magic

Baseball players are known for being superstitious and having rituals before games or clothing they wear. It could be a pair of socks or a wrist band that they thought gave them luck. You could say that patting or even hugging a tree as you pass by is like rubbing a lucky stone you have in your pocket. Maybe if I pat that tree I will have a successful hike with no accidents.

Incorporating a little magic in your hike gives it a surreal feeling. It might be my imagination taking hold of me. I wrote a story about magical mountains so that might be part of this habit I have developed.

Trees Are Older

Most trees are much older than myself. This particular one is ancient for sure and there are fewer and fewer people and things that are older than me these days. I respect that. Maybe the tree could impart some wise advice that I am just too young to know. But trees can’t talk you say! Well, I read once that they do talk but just much slower than we do so we can’t hear them. You think? So they are older and they talk slow. Learning something from a tree might take some time, still, I think it is worth the effort. Now go hiking and hug a tree!