Why You Should ACTUALLY Touch Some Grass

By D.H.

Peering up at Philippa, I tell her about my nightmare group project I’ve just finished and my looming final exams. Her branches and leaves shine in the sunlight, lightly rustling after I finish my story, seeming to comfort me in my suffering.

Philippa is a tree residing in Queens Courtyard. I met her during one of Dr. Robin Mitchell Stroud’s Mindful of Earth sessions, where we made sacred offerings to trees. Dr. Stroud explained that in order to show gratitude to trees for all that they do, we can make an offering to them, whether it be a poem or a simple thought of gratitude in passing. I chose to offer stories and physical gratitude messages.

When I first told my friends that I had spent an afternoon talking to vegetation and sticking notes of gratitude to their branches, I was met with a sense of disbelief and confusion. However, the experience introduced me to a valuable perspective, one that differed from my own and many of my peers. During the session, Dr. Stroud described how trees have unique personalities and are able to converse with us. It was through this experience that I learned trees always have, and still do, actively exist on their own.

In metropolitan areas, trees, bushes, and grass are often planted as part of architecture or to benefit humans in some other way. Therefore, it is easy to view plants as part of or for something human made: the oak tree as part of your office courtyard, or the boxwood hedge planted for your neighbor’s privacy.

This tendency manifests from a disconnect that I, as long as many city residents, share. Aside from distancing us mentally, living in cities also puts us physically further away from nature. This disconnect prevents us from seeing the true beauty and value of nature and often obstructs us from understanding the significance of environmental issues such as climate change and deforestation.

This is not to say that city residents don’t appreciate nature or care about deforestation at all, but that they are less likely to develop a long-standing or deep relationship with nature. If only seen as decorations for man-made structures, people will not be able to truly see the value in wildlife, or the merit in saving it.

This problem can be fixed by reconnecting with nature. Building a relationship with nature teaches us the value of wildlife and the worth in the fight against climate change and deforestation. The quiet serenity of nature demonstrates the interconnectedness of everything on Earth and the beauty of the environment, while also providing stress-reducing and calming effects.

This doesn’t mean, in order to reconnect with nature, you need to wake up at the crack of dawn and sweat your way up a mountain, or spend three days in the forest sleeping in a polyester triangle—unless you’re into hiking or camping. It can, however, be as easy as appreciating the oak tree on your walk to your 9am, or laying on some grass during a picnic with friends. Even for city residents, it can be simple; bits of nature are all around us, and even the patch of grass on a curb strip is worth the acknowledgement, and can lead to a more organic and sustainable care for the environment.

And so, I urge you—touch some grass. And talk to some trees.