Turn People Into Trees

I love trees. I appreciate them. I never take them for granted. I lived in a desert for almost two decades, I know what it’s like not to have enough trees around. And so, every time I go hiking, I look at them and admire their beauty. I feel their presence and embrace their company. That’s one of the reasons I love being around nature.

You don’t see trees and then try to change them, right? You don’t look at them and say, "What an ugly tree, I wish you were more bent, or more straight, or thicker, or taller, or greener.” No. You allow it. You let it be. You admire their particular beauty, just as it is.

Some of them got more light, so they grew tall and straight. Some of them grew on more fertile soil and had more space, so they grew lush and wide. Some of them are squeezed in with multiple other plants and are fighting for every inch of space. Some of them had to bend and twist to reach for light. Some of them are planted in rocky, arid, and almost lifeless soil, and they are struggling to grow and thrive. They are barely surviving.

And so it is with all the human beings around you—your partner, your parents, your siblings, your children, your uncles and aunts, your cousins, your friends, your colleagues, the barista at your favorite coffee shop, the clerk at the grocery store, the person delivering your mail, and all the strangers you meet.

Everyone has a unique story. Everyone has had different experiences. Everyone has been shaped by their particular circumstances. Everyone is doing the best they know how.

Let them be themselves. Love them. Accept them exactly as they are. Do not try to change them. Do not try to mold them into what you think they should be. Do not try to force your views of the world onto them. Be kind, mind your own business, and grant others the same privilege.

Practice "turning people into trees," as Ram Dass said, "appreciating them just the way they are."

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