Friends of Trees

Saturday, January 3, 2015

I went to plant trees with Friends of Trees for my give today.

I had so much fun!

The entire drive to the meeting spot was a reminder of how far I've come in overcoming obstacles. I grew up shy and uncomfortable in new places. I've pushed through and lived/worked with horses in other states for strangers, traveled alone through Spain and Portugal, but the discomfort is still present every time I voyage to unknown place with unknown people.  Anxiety and thoughts of writing off this particular give in favor of something less painful were hovering in the background and could easily have taken over had I let them.

I persevered and found great signage leading to a field with friendly tree-planters.  I hopped into the group with the main guy and ended up learning a ton of 'didn't know I didn't know' information about trees and planting.

My big dream is to have an incredible self-sufficient and stunning horse property and home using environmentally friendly technology. I didn't know that today I would be volunteering and coming one step closer to that dream with the knowledge and connections I made today.

In my first post I said I wanted to be less 'me' and more others. But that really isn't true. Giving means receiving and I received so much more than I gave.

I saw a watercolor sunrise this morning while I cleaned out my car, getting ready to go. I met great, positive people and future resources. I feasted on bananas and KIND bars. I learned how to set up a tree for success. I pushed my body beyond my normal level for horse chores and felt the joy of challenging my muscles until they sang. I looked across a field and saw my impact on the world, a legacy of new life. We planted trees and shrubs that could live for not hundreds, but thousands of years.