Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.

You know, a friend of mine

recently shared with me a story

from spiritual teacher, Ram Dass.

It was such a beautiful reminder for me.

It had such a beautiful impact

on me that I really wanted

to share it with you all too.

So he says, you know, when you go

out into the woods and you look

at all the trees, you see all

these different kinds of trees.

And some of them are bent.

Some of them are straight and

some of them are evergreens and

some of them are just whatever.

All kinds of trees.

And when you look at the trees, you allow

it to be just as it is, you appreciate it.

You kind of see why it's the way it is.

You know, you understand that if one

tree didn't get enough, light, it kind

of twisted and turned this way, but you

don't get emotional about it or judge it.

You just appreciate the tree.

Just as it is.

Bent or knobly or however it is.

But the minute we get near humans, we

seem to lose all of that, you know.

We're constantly saying this

person's too this or I'm too that.

So that kind of like

judging mind comes in.

And so he says, I practice turning

people into trees, which means

appreciating them just the way they are.

And I love this analogy.

It invites us all to remember, to

appreciate each other, you know,

to see past our opinions and our

preconceived notions about each other.

So what a wonderful spiritual practice

it could be if in this next week, we

all practice turning people into trees.

Therefore giving them what

we all most want, love and

acceptance, just the way we are.

So this week, let's practice

this as best we can.

And hold close these words that

were once elegantly spoken by

the Dalai Lama "What is, love?

Love is the absence of judgment."