I found this quote from Ram Dass a few days ago, and couldn’t let it go.

“…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 appreciate 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’re too this, or I’m too this.”  That judging mind comes in.  And so I practice turning people into trees.  Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”

What if we really approached each other this way? Instead of all the he’s this, and she’s that. Here’s another radical thought: what if we looked at ourselves this way? What if the conversation changed from “I’m too big” to “I am a mighty redwood?” It’s sounds a little odd, I admit. But imagine just for a second what happens. Better yet, try it. Right now. Replace your usual body complaint of “I’m too _____”(you know what they are…I don’t have to tell you) with “I’m a Silver Birch.” (Don’t know what tree you want to be? http://www.treenames.net/ is a great little place to investigate.) Find your tree. And let everyone else have theirs. Follow the lead of Ram Dass.

Revel in who you are and how you are right this minute. Just as you walk through the woods and take in the beauty of each individual tree, walk through your day. Celebrate that we aren’t all alike.

Happy Fall, and Namaste.