If people were trees…
What happens when we look at people the way we look at forests.
Have you ever looked at a tree and thought, “Oh, you’re not tall enough,” or “Hmm, a little too slim, aren’t you?”
Chances are you haven’t.
But with humans? That’s a different story. We often catch ourselves making these quiet (or not-so-quiet) judgments: “She’s too this.” “I’m not enough of that.”
Spiritual teacher Ram Dass captures this beautifully:
“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying, ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”
What if we tried that too?
Instead of jumping to judgment, we pause to notice. Maybe that person who didn’t return your call is chasing a deadline. Maybe the friend who snapped at you didn’t get enough “light” that day. Maybe you are already growing in your own shape, at your own pace.
Like trees, we all bend, reach, and bloom differently depending on the light we’ve had.
This week, let’s practice seeing the people around us as trees, allowing them, appreciating them, and noticing their shape without wishing it were different.
Here’s a small activity for you: Pick one person today. They can be your colleague, a friend, or even yourself. Write down what makes them unique, like you would describe a tree. Perhaps they are ‘tall, steady, sometimes bent, but always growing.’ Or maybe they are ‘rooted like an oak, with branches wide enough to shelter others.’ Notice what shifts when you see them this way.
Here’s to crooked branches and wild growth,
Team FUEL.