If you get Wonder Mail, you can skip this because I'll mostly be repeating what I wrote to you last week. For the rest of you, what I said was that…

 

 

I call nature our most life-giving neighbor, and in the last few months I've been longing to recalibrate my nervous system by hugging a tree.

 

Literally.

 

But I let self-consciousness prevail and did the next best thing: sat under a tree while touching its exposed roots to ground myself. 

 

 

When a bare part of our body touches the ground, it dissipates electrical static we carry, and electrons flow into us and give us a charge of energy. 

 

This is called "grounding" or “getting grounded." 

 

Back in the day, getting grounded was a normal part of life because we sat in the grass. Now that we're inside tied to electronics a lot, not so much. 

 

Recently, I learned about a botanical preserve in my own. darned. neighborhood. and within walking distance, to boot. That's a whole nother story, but I went there last week and literally cried tears of gratitude. 

 

And yes, I hugged a tree that I call Harold. 

 

My mom is going to her senior center so I'm going to hug my new friend in a few, but before I sign off, here's an overview about the life-giving power of grounding and a free documentary if you'd like to learn more.

 

Here's to feeling more alive!

Mary-Elizabeth

DR. MARY-ELIZABETH HARMON
Scientist turned storyteller, caregiver & creator of Tiny Village Project