Margaret Cheasebro

As I was walking on a sidewalk next to the Animas River near 32nd Street in Durango, Colorado, I saw a young tree being supported by two sticks, one on each side of it.

After I took several pictures of the tree, using my Picture This ap, I learned the tree was an American sycamore. It had been planted sometime in the last year on grass near the new sidewalk. Thanks to those supports, the tree was standing straight and tall. Green leaves grew from the base of the sycamore, and some sprouted farther up the trunk near where leafy branches spread outward, looking healthy.

I sometimes see employees of the city of Durango tend the trees, bushes and flowers that grow near that sidewalk. They help to keep the plants healthy and beautiful. Lots of people walk or bicycle past the greenery on that sidewalk as they enjoy an outing near the river.

Just as trees sometimes need support to help them stand tall and healthy, we may need a little support too. I am thankful for people in my life who take the time to talk with me and to really listen.

So many times, people have done simple things that help prop me up and give me support. When I have only one or two items in the store check-out line, sometimes they let me go ahead of them. What a thoughtful gift!

Sometimes they pick up a pen or a piece of paper I have dropped, a kindness that took only a few seconds. I felt the caring warmth of their gesture much longer than that.

Even a friendly smile can lift my spirits and make me feel supported. And I can do the same for others. It takes almost no time or effort, but it can be just what someone needed.

That American sycamore, with the supportive sticks on both sides of it, reminds me of how important we are to each other. One act of kindness can give us the encouragement we need to make it through a tough day and to stand a little taller.

Coats and sweaters appear in my house during this cooler, autumn weather. Now is a wonderful time to take a nature walk. You can walk through your neighborhood, along hiking paths, or find a bench on which to sit and notice your surroundings.

It helps to take a deep breath to help yourself begin to relax. Keep your eyes open as you notice everything around you. The breeze might feel a little chilly, the sun may help you feel warmer. As you focus on what you are seeing and hearing around you, the sounds of chirping birds and flowing water might come into your awareness.

We miss so many things when we don't take time to relax and pay attention. When we learn to calmly listen, we often discover that we start to breathe more deeply, a sure sign that we are starting to relax.

See the dirt pathway with weather resistant weeds poking out between pebbles. Hear the branches of trees rub against each other. Notice some of the few remaining leaves falling toward the ground.

As you continue to notice and to feel relaxed, ask yourself what you would like to see in your life. Do you long for more job satisfaction, improved family harmony, a better understanding of your life's purpose?

Pick up a small rock. Let your thumb and fingers explore its surface. What do you feel there? Bumps? Crevices? Rough or smooth edges?

As you walk or sit, keep noticing what you see, hear, feel, touch, and smell. Every time you become more aware of your surroundings, you are letting go of a distraction in your life that has kept you from noticing all the beauty around you.

Think about the things you enjoy and love in your life. Let your mind explore each of those things in the same way you let your fingers explore that rock. The more you appreciate those positive things, the more you become aware of them.

When you reach the end of your walk, take another deep breath in. Then let it out as you allow gratitude to flow from you. Be thankful for everything you experienced during your time in nature. Saying thanks is one way of helping you to remember the lovely, calm, and relaxing moments you just experienced.

When people are sick or experience an emotional upheaval, they often have a hard time staying grounded. Instead of feeling connected to the good old terra firma, they seem to be floating off somewhere. Talk to them, and they're a little flighty and unattached. Their mind wanders, making them unfocused.

How do you help someone like that? If they can walk, take them outside and sit with them near a tree. Trees are so attached to the Earth with their roots that their groundedness can have a positive affect on whoever feels a little flighty, unfocused, or unattached.

If they are too sick to go outside, buy a potted plant, something rooted in soil. Put that plant in their hospital room or bedroom where they can easily see it as they lie in bed. They may get a sense of rootedness from the plant. It could help them feel more grounded.

Talk with them about ways to feel more grounded. Have them imagine they are lying on green grass and feeling the firmness of the Earth through their bodies. Or imagine they are on a beach half buried in pleasantly warm sand. That feeling of being attached to the Earth helps people feel more connected to their own life in this present moment. It can help them heal faster and feel more enthusiastic about wanting to get well.

If they can't get outside and plants are not allowed inside, play a game with them. Each of you imagine a tree you have seen that made an impression on you. Take turns describing the tree you remember, what its bark looked like, how its roots grew into the soil, how you felt when you were near it. Whoever isn't doing the remembering should listen carefully. Just remembering the tree can help a person feel more grounded. And just being listened to can make them feel more whole.

I was standing in my front yard on Easter Sunday, looking up at the large juniper tree beside my driveway. Birds bounced from branch to branch, singing their trilling songs. I watched the birds, intrigued by how easily they hopped through the tree. I listened to their intricate melodies.

All the little and big things that had been vying for attention in my mind took a back seat to the tree and the birds. Through the branches, I could see the neighbors across the street. They were having an Easter egg hunt in their front yard. The father lifted his toddler up to peer into the fork of a tall tree. The child's hand reached out and grasped an egg hidden there for him to find.

I listened to the excited voices of the children as they found treasures in the grass, behind rocks, and tucked next to the driveway. It was an idyllic scene. I came away from it, feeling refreshed after being around trees, birds, and a young family on an Easter egg hunt.

Taking time to enjoy the trees and the bird sounds in my own yard is a great way to de-stress. I don't spend much time doing that, but I may try to enjoy nature in my yard more than I have been. It has such a calming effect and puts things into better perspective.

The things I often stress over don't seem quite as stressful when I take time to listen to the sounds of nature around me and watch trees sway in a gentle wind.

Why don't we take more time to do things like that? Listening to nature's sounds are known to be good for our health because of the calming effect they have on us. For me, part of it is that I get so busy I don't think I have time to stop for a few minutes to listen to sounds around me and see the beauty of nature.

I did take a few minutes this morning to look at the plants starting to green up in the flower bed by my side door. A grape hyacinth was pushing up its purple blossoms. A rose bush sprouted new green leaves. A tulip lifted tall green blades toward the sky. And birds sang as they flitted in a spruce tree in my back yard.

When I went back inside after spending just a few minutes enjoying nature, I had more energy to tackle the tasks that awaited me. Everything seemed a little easier to do. Those few minutes spent paying attention to the beauty of nature around me weren't wasted time. I accomplished more in less time – just because I took a few moments to relax and notice, really notice, the loveliness around me.

Sometimes when I need a little extra exercise, I walk through parts of my neighborhood. It's a great way to stretch my legs and strengthen my muscles.

There are lots of trees in the neighborhood where I live. Almost everyone has trees in their front, back or side yards. Every once in a while, one of those trees will grab my attention. From past interaction with trees, I know that means they want something from me or they have something to tell me. So I have learned to listen. It may sound strange to think of listening to trees. That kind of listening isn't done with your ears. It's done with your heart.

Often, a tree wants me to pray for it or to send it Reiki, which is a Japanese form of energy healing that promotes relaxation, rest, and other healthy things. Getting to do that is one of the joyful things about being a Reiki Master. If a tree wants Reiki, I also send Reiki to everyone and everything in the area that would like to receive it. Reiki can help to provide relaxation, rest and healing to a large area, which is a wonderful way of bringing a greater sense of peace to the neighborhood.

If a tree wants prayer, I don't usually know what it needs. I just pray that it receives whatever it needs to find healing and wholeness. I sometimes feel a rush of joy coming from the tree to me immediately after I have prayed for it. It's the tree's way of thanking me and of telling me it received benefits from the prayer.

Sometimes trees have something to tell me. Their message is always one of encouragement or support. I am amazed at how much trees feel an interconnection with us, a sense of community in which we all benefit as we support each other.

Some people don't feel anything special when they walk among trees. They may have a hard time understanding how anyone else could connect with trees. They may wonder if it's all in our heads. Perhaps they might think we have an overactive imagination or we're just a little bit crazy. But almost anyone can enjoy the shade that trees provide, the perches they offer in their branches for singing birds, the beauty they add wherever they grow.

When you walk by a tree, it might be fun to try an experiment. Using your mind, not your voice, tell the tree how beautiful you think it is. Acknowledge it by thanking it for all it provides. Then stand quietly near the tree and listen. You may hear birds sing, branches rustle in the wind, leaves swish together. But underneath those sounds, you just might sense something else, a blip of joy, a rush of love that overtakes you in a gentle way. If that happens, you just might have heard with your heart a thank you coming from that tree.