In Celebration of Arbor Day: Plant a Tree (Seed), Find a Sit Spot, and Create a Recycled Paper Postcard.

Arbor Day is a holiday celebrated throughout the world with the planting and celebration of trees. Initially celebrated in 1594 with a tree planting in the Spanish village of Monodonedo, the first Arbor Day observed in the United States occurred on April 10th, 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska, thanks to Julius Sterling Morton, the editor of the local paper, the Nebraska City News. Just as Edward Bok, the editor of the Ladies Home Journal,  created a sanctuary for birds with the creation of Bok Tower Gardens, Mr. Morton saw the refuge trees offered humans and animals alike.

A New York City school celebrates Arbor Day 1908 by planting trees. Looks like fun! Photo by George Grantham Bain, courtesy of The Library of Congress.

Traditionally, millions of trees are planted on Arbor Day by school children and families around the world, however, due to current safety guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid 19, there are no groups gathered to plant trees. Most of us are not prepared to plant a tree at home with our families. Not to despair, you may have tree seeds from the foods you eat. Apple seeds, orange seeds, avocado, cherry, plum, and more are all seeds that grow into trees.

Sprouting mango seed on the left. Sprouting avocado seed on the right.

I planted some tree seeds in pots of moist soil from fruits that grow at Bok Tower Gardens,  Jaboticaba. These fruits grow right on the trunk of the tree and taste similar to lychee inside with a skin like a muscadine grape.

I will let you know how it goes, or should I say grows.

I am so grateful to work at Bok Tower Gardens. Even on a day I wake up feeling achy I know the hammock of oak trees in Hammock Hollow will soothe me and smiles of school children will lift my spirit.  Edward Bok not only created Bok Tower Gardens as a sanctuary for birds, but also for people. 

Where Edward Bok is Happiest: In His Garden, possibly Bok Tower Gardens, Florida, still open today, but the book seems to be unclear about the location of this picture.

I love this excerpt from a rough draft letter handwritten  by Edward Bok in 1928, (typed by Helena B. Caldwell in 1985) in which Mr. Bok discusses the purpose of Bok Tower Gardens, at the time named Mountain Lake Sanctuary and the Singing Tower:

“First: As a place of quiet and repose for the electrically-driven people of America. In the olden days, a sanctuary was a retired spot for those who were persecuted and who found there an asylum of safety. We have no persecutions in free Americas as in those days. But we do need the sanctuary as a place of quiet refuge for those who are in the rapid whirl of modern life and can find repose and a place to think. Man needs the quiet moment every once in a while to take as it were an inventory of himself. To consider where he is going and if the goal is worthy of the effort. Some place where he can peacefully think and where he can sit among the beauties of nature and let the realization of the existence of God come to him. Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have the quiet moment where he can withdraw from the rush of life and try to understand himself. As John Burroughs has so beautifully put it, which is the motto of this Sanctuary: I come here to find myself. It is so easy to get lost in the world.”

Like so many of us, staying safe at home has left my soul earning, weighed with concern for loved ones, neighbors, friends, and strangers alike.  Our need for the healing balm of nature is greater than ever. Thanks to my wise education co-workers, Stephen and Cissy, I learned about the practice of using a "sit spot," a place close to home where you sit, relax, and observe nature. There are many awesome and in-depth online resources about finding and using a Sit Spot. I found Brian Merten's Complete Guide To Using A Sit Spot to be extremely thorough and helpful.

It can be easy to over-complicate such a simple thing as finding a place to sit and observe nature. I finally settled on a spot I had already been sitting on regularly, a stump under an oak tree in my yard where my doggie, Luna, likes to play. It was when I observed her resting next to me, relaxing and observing the world around her that I knew I had a sit spot. I worried it was too humble, not majestic enough, but the eggshell found on the ground, the lizards hopping about, the views close and far showed me otherwise. So for this Arbor Day, do yourself a favor and find your sit spot.

Luna, helping me find my sit spot.

And if it happens to be rainy, spend some time making a recycled paper postcard. 

1. Cut a rectangle of lightweight cardboard, such as a cracker box, that measures about 4 inches by 6 inches. 

2. Using a glue stick or thinned liquid glue to cover the cardboard with old magazine, used office paper, junk mail, and any used paper.

3. Add leaves or other elements from nature. Be sure to gather natural items respectfully.

4. Add a message inspiring others to care for and connect with nature, and as Edward Bok's grandmother taught him, "Make the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it."

Happy Arbor Day!