What Trees Can Teach Us To Find Happiness

Trees rise from the ground regally and beautifully, nourished by strong roots that connect them to the earth. They are not afraid of storms. Instead of resisting change, they allow themselves to be carried by the cycles of nature, peacefully and happily.

All you have to do is observe their majestic silence to begin to understand all the magical wisdom they hold.

In his unforgettable book The White Goddess, Robert Graves  said that trees share many similarities with humans.

But there is something more mysterious, balanced, peaceful and even noble with them. In fact, a fascinating tree-related phenomenon recently went viral on social media.

Not long ago, the concept of crown shyness caught the attention of millions of Twitter users. Biologists and naturalists soon went into detail about crown shyness, a term coined in the 1950s to describe an unusual, fascinating natural phenomenon.

In tropical rainforests, with their extensive foliage, trees tend to grow very close together. But there are certain species that never end up touching each other,  leaving a space between each other that creates fascinating holes and beautiful vein-like patterns that let the sunlight shine into the forest below and create a stunning image.

These trees coexist in perfect harmony, and perhaps they communicate in a kind of ancient language. They show that sometimes in nature it is not only the strongest who survive. Sometimes beauty is created by mutual respect.

Trees have roots that move in search of nutrients

Trees are not shy, and they leave nothing to chance. In fact, they are incredibly wise, and it is worth taking a more intimate, reflective look at them so that we can learn from them.

We know, for example, that “tree therapy” and “forest baths” are becoming popular again. More than just walking through a forest or squeezing a tree, it’s about understanding what they are, so that we can be like them.

• When you think of the roots of a tree, you immediately think of something inflexible, stiff and firm. In fact, people associate roots with family relationships that define and determine their lives.
• However, this is not entirely true. Trees actually move their roots strategically around in search of nutrients, allowing them to grow, flower and expand.
• Trees use quite surprising mechanisms to gather food. Many of them stretch the ends of their roots at long distances in search of nutrients.

We can do the same. We can seek our own path and explore new perspectives. Why not move in new directions to find what we want or need?

No two trees are alike, and every tree tells a story

The rings in a tree trunk tell us much more than just the age of the tree,  where they rise majestically in the middle of a forest, in a meadow or on a mountain. Dendrochronology can tell the whole life story of a tree, from the seasons of water scarcity, to the snow-covered years, to the effects of plague and fires…

• We also have internal marks, scars and wounds. We have also grown through adversity, and all these difficult moments have made us unique and exceptional.
• Each person is a magical being who has risen in the middle of a large and chaotic jungle with his own leaves that have been touched by the sun and caressed by the wind, with his own wounds that are healed in silence with his own roots and branches that serve as shelter, so that others can grow and even touch the sky if they want to…

The patient cycle of the trees

Bamboo spends the first 7 years of its life growing downward and stretching its roots in silence and wisdom, slowly but surely.

After that time, something incredible happens: they can grow up to 30 meters in just a few short months. They become long, flexible and resistant, one of the most fascinating organisms in the natural world.

Everything in nature has a cycle, and if there is some kind of organism that knows something about time, it is trees. Humans, on the other hand, are the most impatient beings on the planet. We seek fast solutions, quick successes and instant gratification.

None of this makes sense in the natural world. Trees do not experience frustration; they invest in patience in their own internal growth,  where they observe the present, let their seeds germinate, and find the best nutrients.

Let us learn from them and be inspired by the  wisdom  of their cycle and their respectful language. Everything takes the time it takes. Everything comes and goes, but trees never stop taking care of themselves and others.

We are all part of a delicate balance, an ecosystem where we must choose love, consideration and respect to grow and live in perfect harmony.

Let’s be like trees.