Photo: Pexels

Green, shady, and life-giving. Trees are truly nature’s incredible gifts. They are uniquely beautiful creations on Earth, but most importantly, we depend on their existence to live. 

As we walk through green spaces, have we ever paused to appreciate just how much trees give us? Their benefits go far beyond their beauty, with their roots bind soil and water, keeping the land fertile and securing water sources. Their branches and dense canopies protect us from storms and scorching sun, regulating the temperature. They also have incredible ability to filter pollutants, giving us clean air to breathe.  

Trees are indeed essential to life on Earth, but did you know they also teach us about love? 

From their life cycle to their resilience through changing seasons, trees teach us that love is something that continues to grow. It is about sincerity, sacrifice, giving, and nurturing life around us. Trees also remind us that love is universal, embracing everyone and every living thing in our surroundings. So, what can we learn from trees? Here are inspiring lessons we can learn about love from trees!  

Unconditional Love 

Like true love, trees give everything without asking for anything in return. They provide all living beings with air, water, food, shelter, and medicine, which all of them are everything we need to survive.  

From trees, we learn to give love, show kindness, and help those in need wholeheartedly without expecting reward or something in return. Let your kindness and love flow unconditionally, just like trees nurture all life around them! 

Patient and Resilience 

Trees grow through changing seasons and sometimes face harsh conditions. Likewise, love can also be challenging, and it needs patience and resilience. Just as trees stand firm and endure tough weather, they teach us the value of perseverance in love. Strong and deep love takes time to grow, and patience and steadfastness are essential to nurturing a love that lasts through all seasons of life. 

Growing  

Trees continue to grow and evolve over time. Regardless of the weather and the conditions, they persist in their growth. Interestingly, they grow by following the direction of light. This reminds us that love also needs to grow in a positive way, adapting well to change. It may take time to develop, but once love grows strong, just like mature trees that provide shelters, bear fruits, and support life, love can bring happiness, offer help and support to one another. 

Encouraging and Protecting Each Other 

Research showed that trees can communicate with each other and thrive better when growing together in a community. Trees communicate through mycorrhizal networks, an underground fungal network connecting their roots. This network allows them to share resources and information. Through their roots, they communicate and exchange information about water availability, nutrient levels, and other environmental conditions. Furthermore, they also release chemical signals into the soil, allowing nearby trees to detect. This incredible system allows trees to protect and support one another. From this, we learn that communication, encouragement, and mutual care are essential elements of love.  

Read also: Easy Ways to Show Love Languages to Mother Earth 

Embracing Differences to Create Harmony  

Diverse tree species grow together in forests. They interact with each other and create a balanced and harmonious ecosystem. This teaches us that every individual is unique, with different characteristics, way of thinking, appearance and background. But true love lies in appreciating those differences, embracing them, and using diversity to create harmony of life.  

For centuries, trees have symbolized vital aspects of life, including courage, wisdom, resilience, protection, and longevity. Beyond sustaining life, they also offer profound lessons about love: unconditional giving, patience, growth, and harmony. This February, as we celebrate love, let us extend it beyond ourselves. Join us in planting trees. Like love, each tree we plant today will continue to grow, protect, and provide for generations to come. Plant trees with us!  

Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Photo: Yulianisa Dessenita, Kemas Duga Muis, Pexels