Food For Thought: Spring, Week 5
A practice to connect with the fleeting blossoms of Spring.
On being with the trees.
My friend Elisabeth Weinstein has a “magnolia sit” practice that I just love. Every spring, she makes it a daily routine to go and sit with a magnolia tree in her neighborhood.
I’ve always loved magnolia trees, not only because the petals are edible and the scent is amazing, but also because they are ancient, having evolved on Earth as far back as 95 million years ago.
For Elizabeth, this practice of sitting with the magnolia tree began as a way to settle the desperation she felt about how little time she got with these flowers every year.
She sits daily, to experience the tree from “bloom to plummet.”
“I have cried wondering if this is the most beautiful thing we have.” She writes, “I have looked forward to sitting with this tree every day, like an appointment I cannot miss. I have witnessed so many lovers of this tree pass by no matter the time of day.”
It is a lush and gorgeous practice, rapturous almost, of patiently noticing abundance and beauty.
It is a way to be with grief, with time, with the overwhelming pain of the world—a balm for an aching heart.
It is a practice of being with all that is fleeting, yet miraculously returns season after season.
This week, instead of a writing prompt, I encourage you to do your own “tree sit." It could also be a “bush sit” or a “flower sit” or even a “cactus sit” (as long as you are careful of the spines!) Whatever feels right.
Scroll below for more detailed instructions.
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Here is this week’s practice.
Find a tree (or other plant) where you can be for 15-30 minutes.
Be with the tree like a friend.
Set a timer for however long you want to be with.
No electronic media, no phone, no listening to music, or reading a book. (A journal is ok!)
Observe other tree appreciators with delight. Observe other creatures being with the tree.
If you had some good insights or surprises from this exercise, share them in the comments below!
Lots of love,
Gina Rae
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