Be Like a Tree: How to Stay Heart-Centered in a Sometimes Heartless World
Sometimes life gives you shit stew…one challenge and complication after another. Sometimes the world seems like one big shit stew, one crisis and tragedy and generally shitty situation after another. How to navigate the pits of life - both personal and in the world - on a daily basis without losing your balance?
This is the question I asked this morning in my journal. Sometimes when I’m really flummoxed, I ask questions and listen for deeper answers. This morning’s answer was quiet and simple, and it didn’t disappoint: Be Like a Tree. What does it mean? In a nutshell: stay connected to your heart.
Sometimes I’m convinced that trees - and also animals and rivers and mountains - hold this crazy world together, in more ways than just physically. Trees process carbon dioxide and give us oxygen, and they just ARE. They are there as we walk in nature, as we sit under them and cry and pound the earth, as we hug them, and even as we fail to notice them completely. Trees are unconditional, silent and unwavering. They may be damaged or uprooted from time to time by strong storms, and they are subject to the havoc we can wreak on them with chainsaws. But even as they fall, others around them stay rooted and strong. Stuff can be going really poorly in the world, and trees are there regardless.
Kind of like trees, our human hearts are powerhouses of energy and intelligence. Think of a person or an animal you love or have loved, and feel the surge of sensation in your chest. When we love, we are connected to the energy in our hearts. We may be numb to the actual physical sensation of our heart, but we can relearn this connection by focusing our attention there. When something around you goes wrong, or someone around you is spiraling into negativity, try focusing on your heart. You can place your hand there, and breathe in and out from this location. You may find that the sensation in your heart increases as you focus on it, and during tough times. If you can feel the sensation in your heart without attaching a story to it, you may find that it feels kind of pleasant.
A disclaimer: I’m not suggesting that you never react or feel unpleasant feelings. When stuff goes bad around me, I often have feelings of anger, fear or sadness. These emotions are all important to feel. The point is not to stay stuck in this energy once it’s passed. By noticing and focusing on your heart sensations, you anchor yourself in the present, and in love. This is especially important if those around you are losing their shit. Rather than reacting to them, or joining them in negative emotion when you don’t want to, stay in your heart.
Staying focused in your heart will be a very quiet feeling, meaning there’s little or no thought attached to the action. This is not about trying to be better than others around you, and it’s definitely not about convincing them to follow you. This is about staying centered in love no matter what’s going wrong around you. It’s about being constant, still and unwavering like a tree.
Try it out and let me know what happens…I’m curious and always welcome comments!
—Amy Briggs