Tree Gazing at Riverbend Park

I love listening to the peaceful sound of leaves whispering in the wind.

The Trees speak to me. I hear a soothing rustle of leaves and feel the calming dappled sunshine. Simply leaning against or laying beneath a tree listening and feeling what's around me always centers and soothes me.

When I am upset or feel lost I will go outside and lean on a tree or lay down in the grass under the trees and look up, I always get a feeling of profound strenth and comfort from the Earth. and I hear

"All is well here. All is how it should be."

What a gift to simply take a moment and breathe while watching patterns of clouds in the sky and sun shifting between the leaves. Feeling the steady love of Mother Earth cradling and nourishing every cell while letting go into the ground.


My family is truly blessed to live in Florida. We have found a local treasure at Riverbend Park is but a stones throw away from us where we have easy access to rich beautiful Pine and Oaks forests.

On a recent hike we found a beaurtiful oak grove. Into it we climbed into the large oaks and became one with the tree.  Here we nestled down together for a bit of tree gazing and centering. The wind blowing high above in the tree tops provided a lovely show as we watched the trees dancing and swaying. We let go of the craziness of the year. We let go of schedules and stress. We let go of all concerns.

Pretty soon we found ourselves taking about the beauty of nature and how we can help to preserve it. It's good to have  a “nature day” at least once a week.

As summer moves along and eventually transforms into autumn, I hope we have many more family moments, many more simple pleasantly easy afternoons tree gazing.

Fun Fact ~ The Sabal palm tree is not a tree but grass! The Florida State Tree: The sabal palm (Sabal palmetto) is the most widely distributed palm in Florida. It grows in almost any soil and has many uses, including food, medicine, and landscaping. The 1953 Florida legislature designated the sabal palm as the state tree