In the past six months or so, I’ve noticed a shift in how I see wood…it’s as if I’m really starting to see it. When I see a nice stick, or log, or tree stump, it really strikes me–my eyes soak in more than the projected image…something has changed, so now, I not only see the piece of wood, but I feel…what?…I feel something else entirely. Perhaps it’s the tree it was once a part of…Perhaps I was a tree in a past life…There is an embodied sensation I now experience which I do not understand, but wish to preserve.
When I go on walks with my friend, she always knows when I’ve sighted a “nice” stick–I get distracted from our conversation, diverge from the path, and I must go investigate. It’s a curious thing…this newfound fascination I have with wood. The beauty of wood confounds me–it is so powerful it overwhelms my mind and body. I hopelessly grasp to comprehend the spirit of trees, that which pulsates through living trees, as well as the latent spirit that lingers in the severed stumps. This new love feels primordial. I am seeing it for the first time, and yet the appreciation of the strength, spirit, compassion, and wisdom of trees feels ancient.
As I sat on a tree stump in the pine knoll, I wondered…I suppose I am sitting in the heart and body of the tree… I am actually “in” the tree, though time has passed, and it has been severed from its rooted source… the essence remains, and it is taking on new life. As I sat on the stump, I felt inexplicably grounded and at ease. The ever-present question this internship coaxes, arose yet again: how have I not noticed this before?
I like how you embed the feeling of this new revelation within your piece itself or at least I felt like some of the mystery was contained between your words. I am a fan of your phrase: “my eyes soak in more than the projected image”. I wonder if this connection isn’t due to a past life as a tree but maybe a similar connection to trees and nature people like Native Americans have had. I had to look up the word primordial. I like your post start to finish- a wonderful read!
I enjoyed reading about your newfound fascination with wood. I think I sometimes feel the same way with big rocks. I feel an immediate urge to climb them and am always searching for real special ones, ones with ferns and moss growing in its cracks, ones that have perfectly weather and smooth spots. The simple act of noticing is so powerful. And whether it be wood or rocks, you continue to notice more and more and fall more and more in love.