When we look at a tree, is it just a tree? Or, is there more to that tree? It is likely the home to birds and other animals. Perhaps, rather than a home, it is a resting place during the day or seasons that pass. It is a place of shelter provides food, offers shade, and many other things that are overlooked in our daily passing of the tree. What story does it tell? We only know when we stop, close our eyes, and listen to the tree.
More than a tree
Posted in Community, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged community, conversational journey, creativity, Mindful Practice, mindfulness, nature, poetry, reflection, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms. I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders. I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs. I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry. I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry. I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope and its anticipatory relationship with the future, and hope as an essential element in learning.24 responses »
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ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Yes!
Thank you.
I love trees, they keep secrets 🙂
I wrote a short dialogue called “a tree finally speaks”. Trees can give us inspiration if we know how to listen. Thanks for sharing this. Have a great day/night to you 🙂
Thank you. Humans do not listen well. We move quickly and without a lot of attention. Take care and enjoy.
This one brings up a funny memory. I was once at a talk being given by a Huichol elder, and someone asked a question about extraterrestrial beings. He responded by suggesting we have yet to figure out what a tree is, so we should probably keep it simple yet, and start with that… 🙂
Michael
Carl Sagan said that we would not recognize ET if we saw them. It fits with that story. Thank you Michael.
branches
mirroring
neurons
Thank you for your short poem.
I did my Master’s in Forest Conservation later in life (as the expression goes). Trees are Mother Nature’s best architecture, thank you for bringing trees more to us, if only we could be more better to them. Peace, Harlon
That is a wonderful metaphor Harlon. Thank you and take care.
Thank you for linking to my post, I also like listening to trees 🙂
You are welcome Robert. Others seem to have that same caring approach.
Many years ago, I listened to a multi-evoctation tape on natural self confidence. It was a metaphor about a tree and humans.
Trees have roots and limbs and a tree breathes like humans. we have arms and legs to anchor us. A tree has a skin called bark and a crown like humans. Trees have names like Acacia’ Ash, Aspen, Banyan, Beech, Birch, Cedar, Elm, Forrest, Hazel etc
Trees have a life span and age like humans. Many more correlations that escape this old brain right now.
Thank you for a wonderful description and metaphor Marty.
If you have visited my site you will know that I have an afinity for trees, both for themselves and as metaphores. They, like us, may live their lives in forests or alone. They may live short nonproductive lives or they may grow into maturity that produces something of value that will be useful long after they are gone.
Even in that short life, they offer something of value. We were in Arizona recently and there was a rainy day. We noticed how that little rain changed the green of the landscape. Trees are so adaptable.
I do visit and will pay more attention to your content. I have been remiss.
Sorry if I sounded like I was scolding, it certainly was’nt my intent. I’m always happy for whatever attention I get. 😉
Reblogged this on Karinconway's Blog and commented:
I’m working on creating an orchard of fruit-bearing trees in my community. I have to remember to stop and listen to the trees so this project succeeds. Thanks for the reminder!
🙂 KMC
http://victorygardeninitiative.org/FruityNutty
Thank you for the re-blog Karin. Good luck with your project. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote about an oak tree at Plum Village. He suggested to people they should stop each day and hug the tree.
Trees are like thee magic of the earth, as is the sea. so much within, so little do we discover as we walk on by …
I agree Sheri. When we pause and listen, we might sense more fully.
So agree Ivon …
They have other stories, too. Stories of escaping logging, fires, floods. I have a little land and there’s a very old tree on it that escaped logging. A flood ripped out half her roots and lay her on her side. She’s lived that way for who knows how long, but likely at least fifty or so years. The stories she could tell!
Thank you for expanding the narrative Emilie. Perhaps,if we listen closely we can hear those stories.