There is something sacred about sitting under a tree. Its leaves shade us from the sun and play music for us in the rain. The birds gather in its branches also, hopping here and there, singing their songs.

"Look at the tree in the front yard," Thich Nhat Hanh says. "The tree doesn't seem to be doing anything. It stands there, vigorous, fresh, and beautiful, and everyone profits from it. That's the miracle of being. If a tree were less than a tree, all of us would be in trouble. But if a tree is just a real tree, then there's hope and joy. That's why if you can be yourself, that is already action."

The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh, p. 105