Living in a world where everyone is focused on the next technological breakthrough often makes people live in a fantasy. A fantasy that has heavy emphasis on the power of a phone, a computer, a mere tiny microchip that can hold words, photos, and memories. The world’s push towards technology has also been a push away from nature. As a firm believer in the healing powers of nature, all of the trees deserve a thank you for loving human beings although they often do not love trees back.

Thank you, tree.

Thank you for giving me shade on a blistering hot summer day. Thank you for preventing another horrific sunburn. Thank you for a moment to rest, to sit and observe the world around me. Thank you for changing and evolving with time. Thank you for the green leafy branches of summer. Thank you for the fall season, which produces colors that sometimes, can only be appreciated for a day. Thank you for dropping your leaves and giving the earth a crunchy bed to play in. Thank you for surviving harsh winters full of snow and ice that weigh your branches down. Thank you for always blooming gorgeous flowers again in spring, regardless of how harsh the winter was.

Thank you for being wood. Thank you for building homes strong. Thank you for keeping a fire roaring. Thank you for being a fence, a table, and a chair. Thank you for being paper. Thank you for letting me make hundreds of to do lists that are scrambled everywhere. Thank you for being a planner so that I can stay organized. Thank you for being a book. Thank you for allowing my mind to be expanded in ways never thought possible. Thank you for taking me on journeys to different cultures while I sit on my couch.

Thank you for giving me a breath. Thank you for making the air clean and fresh. Thank you to the trees that have grown together in a forest for hundreds of years giving the world natural beauty that cannot be replicated quickly or easily. Thank you for being strong enough to tie a swing to or a hammock between. Thank you for taking the burden of a lightning bolt in a storm so my home does not get destroyed. Thank you for being a home. Thank you for taking care of birds, squirrels, and hundreds of other little critters across the world’s ecosystems. Thank you for being loyal to your spot in the world, that one spot where your roots reach down deep.

Thank you for being unique. I thank the palm tree for being the obvious landmark on vacations. I thank the evergreen for being able to hold up my Christmas decorations and keeping my families presents safe. I thank every tree that produces food, from apples to coconuts to peaches. Thank you for giving me countless and endless memories. Thank you for letting me camp among your trunks looking up at the sky. Thank you for letting me weave between you and hike towards a mountain. Thank you for letting me smell you, as earthy and raw as a smell can be. Thank you for letting me plant a tiny seed in the ground and watch it grow. Thank you for being a sanctuary. Thank you for giving my mind peace.

Thank you, tree.

Thank YOU for not tearing a tree down. It isn’t simply a space for a new business or a highway. That tree means everything to someone, whether human or not. Some trees are grown with the intention of cutting them down, and that’s necessary for the world. However, some trees must be planted and allowed to exist independently. Take time to love a tree because they all love you.