Roots Of Wisdom Day 1

Episode 141 of the Mindfulness Man podcast, hosted by Chris Manning, titled "Roots Of Wisdom Day 1" was published on May 29, 2025 and runs 8 minutes.

May 29, 2025 ·8m · Mindfulness Man

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

"A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it."Quote from The Hidden Life of Trees: I grew up in Nottinghamshire England, only a few miles away from the famous Sherwood Forest. I remember playing as a child in and around the major oak, a tree that legend has it was the hideout of Robin Hood. It’s the largest oak in England weighing in at 23 tonnes. The major oak is ancient, a thousand years old. last year I went on solitary retreat, just me, in a cabin, in the woods. At the edge of those woods was also an ancient oak, If I remember correctly, it was 600 years old. I sat and meditated on it and all of the changes that have occurred in its world, whilst it has remained, strong, patient and stable. I thought of my dear grandparents, being born, raised and leaving this world, and how this great expanse of time was absorbed by the tree, with very little change. Trees do not rush. They do not force themselves to grow before their time. A beech tree may take 80 years before it bears its first fruit. Some trees wait centuries before they reach their full height. They trust time, trust the slow unfolding of life, trust that each season brings what is needed. As humans, we struggle with this. We want things to happen now. We want answers, results, transformations overnight. But the trees remind us: growth is slow. And that is not a flaw—it is nature’s way. So now, let’s meditate

Episode Description

"A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it."Quote from The Hidden Life of Trees:

I grew up in Nottinghamshire England, only a few miles away from the famous Sherwood Forest. I remember playing as a child in and around the major oak, a tree that legend has it was the hideout of Robin Hood. It’s the largest oak in England weighing in at 23 tonnes. The major oak is ancient, a thousand years old.

last year I went on solitary retreat, just me, in a cabin, in the woods. At the edge of those woods was also an ancient oak, If I remember correctly, it was 600 years old. I sat and meditated on it and all of the changes that have occurred in its world, whilst it has remained, strong, patient and stable. I thought of my dear grandparents, being born, raised and leaving this world, and how this great expanse of time was absorbed by the tree, with very little change.

Trees do not rush. They do not force themselves to grow before their time. A beech tree may take 80 years before it bears its first fruit. Some trees wait centuries before they reach their full height. They trust time, trust the slow unfolding of life, trust that each season brings what is needed.

As humans, we struggle with this. We want things to happen now. We want answers, results, transformations overnight. But the trees remind us: growth is slow. And that is not a flaw—it is nature’s way.

So now, let’s meditate