Lightly Child, Lightly

Posted on by Live & Learn

I have a favorite sound.

To be precise, it’s not a singular sound but a multitude.

Have you ever stood in the presence of a tree and listened to the wind pass through its leaves? The roots and body stand defiant and unmoved. But listen. The branches stretch out their tongues and whisper shhhhh.

Trees make symphonies without their trunks ever moving, almost as if the stillness of their centers amplifies their sound. The tree may appear still, but if you look closer, you’ll see that each leaf flails with breath. The tree may seem alone, but plow deep and you’ll unearth its secret gnarled roots—the grotesque and the beautiful—creeping in the soil, reaching toward the ancestors.

Thomas Merton said, “No writing on the solitary, meditative dimensions of life can say anything that has not already been said better by the wind in the pine trees.” I hold this close.

—  Cole Arthur Riley, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us (Convergent Books, February 22, 2022)

Notes:

  • Photo:  DK @ Daybreak 6:54 am August 29, 2021.
  • Post Title & Inspiration: Aldous Huxley: “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.”

46 thoughts on “Lightly Child, Lightly”

  1. I so love it too and there is a word for it: psithurism.

    “These sounds of wind in the trees and the rustling of leaves have enchanted so many people over time that they invented a word to describe them: psithurism. Like many words that begin with “ps,” the “p” at the beginning of psithurism is silent, and the word is pronounced sith-err-iz-um.”

    2. There are a few books on the social lives of trees. I look at them and try to figure out which one to choose! I might just choose this one 🙂

  3. The symphony of sound from the trees, sounds that change with the type of leaf that is singing – another gift from Mother Nature. The differences can be subtle, and demand your attention if you’re fortunate enough to stop and listen. Beth taught us both something today – never heard of the word, and I love the way it sounds – its pronunciation is perfect for its definition!

  4. Not sure if you intentionally chose an Irish name for today’s post, David. Love how he incorporates the Merton quote to finish off this tranquil posture before the eloquence of the trees.

    1. Smiling. No Daniel. It didn’t dawn on me that it was St. Patrick’s Day until later in the morning. (And I think “he” is a “she”) and agree it was a beautiful finish…

  6. I often stand amongst the trees and love the sound. Psithurism from marcescent leaves, particularly. Those leaves, usually oak, that remain on the trees in the winter have a particular sound. Love this. Perfect photo to go with your excerpt 🙂

          1. I am on a small laptop. I need to move to a bigger screen!
            Oh! I see it. I was looking at the trunk and ground, not the leaves. What a fantabulous discovery…
            And now… you can say you’ve capture one… even if you didn’t realise it at the time!

          3. That owl is probably jamming to some Wishbone Ash. Or Black Oak Arkansas, lol.

        1. Love the post and esp the closing lines Steve:

          “Stepping out of my car to go in to work today, I had many things on my To-Do List. As I started up the steps to the building, a strong wind sang through the trees and I flashed back to that day. I wish I had the luxury of time to just sit down and enjoy the song today.”

          Thanks!

  8. YES! I have stood under black cottonwoods in Montana and made a little video of the leaves whispering very loudly as the wind passed through the trees. A memorable experience.

  10. Thanks, Beth! the sound of water in a stream burbling over rocks is another soothing sound. I wonder if there is a specific word for that sound, too.

  11. I like sitting under an overhang and listening to rain (and wind) hitting the various leaves in my back garden. We also have a hammock for sitting between trees and watching the leaves rustle in the wind.

    2. I had to look it up! verb
      gerund or present participle: soughing
      (of the wind in trees, the sea, etc.) make a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound.
      “the soughing of the wind in the canopy of branches”

  13. wow…. what a brilliant ‘telling’ post. And I too have a deep love for trees, also for the ‘noise’ (I call it talking, singing) of their leaves. One of my fondest memories is having been at the beach of our lake with my baby, him happily kicking his tiny legs on the rug he was placed and when I watched him, I saw that his joy was the spiel of the leaves of the tree he lied under, the dappling sunlight, the sweet sound of those rustling leaves and the birds singing in the branches! I also had a very special ‘contact’ to my (now) late mother regarding an old tree and the possibility that I would (be allowed to) use ‘that’ old tree for her obituary notice, together with the wonderful poem by Maya Angelou ‘When great trees fall’…. In the end we took another photo I took and another text but I shared it with some friends and they agreed that it was ‘her’.
    This weekend I took photos of a magnificent very, very old tree with a near-empty trunk, I should send you some photos, stunning. BUT very low at this old, distorted tree young branches grew and they pushed out lovely young green leaves. I titled that photo: And spring WILL come…. btw, it snowed over the last 3 days after 2 weeks of perfect spring weather!

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