The other day, I saw a woman hugging a tree — a sequoia I also love. I walk by it whenever I go for my round in nature, and I’ve hugged it or leaned against it many times.
I walked up to her and her partner, smiling, and said, “I do that too.”
She laughed and admitted she’d wanted to do it quickly, before anyone saw her — so I wouldn’t think she was a weirdo.
I know how she feels, I usually also look both ways before I do it!
But that moment opened a lovely conversation between us.
And it reminded me why it’s so important to be ourselves fully.
If we hide our true nature — the small, genuine things that make us light up — we also hide the chance to connect.
By showing up authentically, we give others permission to do the same. And that’s how kindred spirits find each other.
So often we hold back our natural impulses — those spontaneous gestures of affection, wonder, or curiosity — because we worry about how they’ll be perceived. We fear seeming odd, too much, too emotional.
But when we hide these parts of ourselves, we also hide the possibility of connection. If I hadn’t seen her hugging that tree, I would have walked by without knowing we shared something small yet meaningful. We might never have spoken.
Our authenticity is what opens the door to recognition — to those small, magical moments when someone smiles and says, “Me too.”
These are the moments that open our hearts.
And God/dess knows we need more of that on this planet.
So let’s hug the tree. Dance in the field (that would still take courage on my part — but I want to get there!). Laugh out loud.
May we keep meeting each other in these small, genuine moments of truth — open-hearted, unguarded, and real.