servingtheLAnd
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The importance of rituals
Rituals are an important part of life. They provide an outline to new experiences as something familiar in unfamiliar places. Performing a ritual gives meaning and depth to an action by causing you to pause and deeply consider each moment. On our trip, we became immersed in the ritual of naming each tree that we planted. This particular ritual was more than merely the final step in the planting process, it acknowledged the beginning of a new life. It caused us to stop and give each individual tree a personality and to hope for it's future. Coming to an agreement on a name was sometimes the most challenging part of planting, and our group came up with some very interesting ones. Some were ironic, such as Tree Swift, others were classy, such as Cyntharia, some were reflective of our love for food, such as Hamburger, and some were short and sweet, such as our first tree ever, Mark. Regardless of the name however, the process of naming allowed us to feel more personally connected to the trees. The actual name didn't mean as much as the continuation of the ritual and realization that we were giving something a chance to live. TreePeople's ritual of tree-naming helps to encourage volunteers to careful care during the planting process, which provides a greater sense of responsibility and quality in the work that they do. Hopefully with these rituals our trees will continue to grow and prosper.
~Ava and Rachel
Trees need people, people need trees
Trees need people
People need trees
Welcome __(pick an awesome name)______
Friday, March 30, 2012
A Little Photography...
Sitting in our first hole!
Atop the Hollywood Hills, facing the Pacific Ocean.
At the UCLA Labor Center for a presentation.
Venice Beach
Soaking up the sun in the beautiful hills of Venice.
Crossing the canals and pausing for a photo op.
Posing on a trail with Danny, the forestry manager of Tree People.
Tikkun Olam in LA.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Life is Beautreeful
“The meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade
you will never sit.” This is the sentence that first made me realize the bigger
significance of planting trees – a seemingly small task that has a greater
impact than I ever imagined. Danny, the incredibly witty forestry manager of
Tree People, taught us the series of steps it takes to plant a tree: Choosing a
location, digging a hole, massaging the roots out of the baby tree’s “root
ball,” settling it into the earth, spreading its roots further into new soil,
filling in the new earth, watering it with four buckets, setting up supportive
stakes to keep it from falling, and finally, the naming ceremony. So much goes
into this process to make sure that the tree is healthy, secure, and might
stand a chance against LA’s lack of rain from March to September. Not to mention
the air pollution.
Aside from the direct service of planting trees, we’re
creating a lasting investment in the community. I hope that the trees I have
planted will provide a refreshing shelter from the hot California sun for
someone who needs to rest. I hope that my trees (their names are Treealah, Big
Easy, and Jazzy the Love Tree) offer happiness to a young child who wants to
dig for bugs around its roots. I hope someone climbs my trees one day.
I hope someone finds my tree and sits beneath it, and
daydreams for a while.
In Judaism, we talk about the “tree of life” pretty often,
and until now, I haven’t truly appreciated the life force of a tree. From
sapling to mighty oak, they grow slowly but surely, ring by ring. Their
branches reach up to the heavens and their roots dig down deep for nourishment.
Similarly, humans look up to the sky for answers and burrow into their past to
find out who they are. As humans, we like to branch out yet stay grounded. My
biggest hope for the rest of this week is to continue to enjoy the satisfying
work, get some more dirt under my fingernails, and appreciate the trees of life
that we are bringing into the world. It would be nice to return to Griffith
Park one day and sit under the shade of the trees I’ve planted, but that’s not
the point. As long as others find joy and shade under the canopy of leaves
reaching upwards, I’ll be proud.
-Danielle
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