Have you hugged a tree?
Imagine yourself standing inside a dense forest on the slope of the Himalayas, surrounded by gigantic trees, covered in green moss with water droplets glistening on them like tiny diamonds.
The sun is down behind the mountains and the clouds make you feel like the dementors are lurking nearby.
I was in this very setting exactly a month ago while on my trek en route Brahmatal. And then submerged in thick silence, I found myself standing next to a giant oak tree, looking up just to find the sky covered by its branches, feeling humbled and moved to the core.
While I closed my eyes and gently wrapped my arms around it, I could feel something gripping me in as well, I could feel some form of an energy flowing through me, I could feel as if I was part of something larger, much larger than my naive human perceptions can ever fathom — the tree hugged me back!
The bliss and the gratefulness I felt that day is very difficult to put in words, I could actually feel being part of this planet, part of life and everything beautiful that surrounds us.
Remember in Kung-fu Panda, when Master Oogway finally hands over the Dragon Scroll (secret to eternal Kung fu mastery) to Po — and then he opens it only to discover that it’s blank, but he sees his own reflection on the parchment? Well, in my case that good old tree turned out to be my Master Oogway 😊, it made me realize that the peace of mind I always sought was right within me.
My dear old oak tree, I might never see you again. But you’ll always be around me in spirits and I’ll always crawl back to you in times when I feel insignificant in this artificial world! ♥️
