Wonderful essay, Ishita. I have always held that trees and the plant kingdom are the superior life forms. I absolutely loved your 10 Commandments; good thing that unlike in Moses' case, the originals were not written in stone - you could strike them out and rewrite! 😁
Absolutely agreed, flora & funga are superior in every aspect - community, flourishing, relationships. I’ve been exploring these themes for long now and there’s so much to learn from them. ☺️
Love this. Identity is indeed a many splendored thing and so much more than what we simply do to make ends meet. Thanks for sharing this reflections, Ishita.
Thank you Scott for your kind words. I have noticed a lot of my work is leaning towards identity and self. Perhaps I am in the phase ever I’m going through reinventing myself and in that, I’m finding a lot of energy and purpose. 🤞
“We are poets and dreamers, secret artists and midnight philosophers.” What you say here is so true! This is the true value and beauty of humanity. Hope for the world. 🖤
I possible CANNOT thank you enough for sending me to Josh's post. What a wonderful piece. Thanks Bree for stumbling upon my newsletter & sharing your love so freely! Appreciate it so much. :)
Golly, Ishita—what an essay. Where do I start? So many synchronicities!! For brevity, I’ll stick to two:
1. I am also a devoted hugger of trees, as well as a proud advocate of the practice (some take me up on it, more than some just think it’s cute). I’ve always been particularly drawn to, and identify with, those trees that have clearly lived through their own rough patches… my business logo is a photo I took of a white pine, damaged by fire, still growing on the banks of Lake Tahoe. You’ve got the vibe on that, I’m sure.
2. The whole freight train thing. As a creative entrepreneur coach/mentor, this gets my goat screaming!! I’m with you 💯, and love love LOVE your list of rewritten narratives. Kinship, period.
BREE! Omg thank you so much for your lovely words. I can feel the energy through your comment.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this (errr..lengthy) essay. I admire you so much for sharing these synchronicities. Nothing like finding a person on the internet you can scream with together, amirite. <3
So glad you felt the love, and that it didn’t come off too sticky (I sometimes feel like I’m channeling my inner bey, getting so starstruck on amazing writing). Delighted to have found you… onward! 🧡✨
Never felt so calm after reading a story, this was what I needed, thankyou!, love from deep heart, heart emoji! I know you don't need any other comments, you know what my heart is feeling right now, thanking you again!
…lots of winning moments and philosophies in here…i of course landed on being a tree…i think it is valuable to see yourself in others as much as yourself…practice creative empathy…see life as living…there are worlds out there…endless worlds to live in…and they live right back in you…
What an incredible essay! I really love the way you started this essay, setting up the context & narrative, and then illustrating beautiful examples of how the "truths" we are fed impact the way we see the world in a way that actually facilitates more harm. I love symbolism of becoming a tree. Something that grows just by being not by pushing. Thank you for sharing!
This was the first blog post I read when I came across your Substack. Thought-provoking and introspective. It made me reflect on my own narrative, which I discovered a couple of years ago: The Baobabs
A song by Sammy Davis Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me
A quote by Matt Khan: "People can only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves."
Wonderful essay, Ishita. I have always held that trees and the plant kingdom are the superior life forms. I absolutely loved your 10 Commandments; good thing that unlike in Moses' case, the originals were not written in stone - you could strike them out and rewrite! 😁
Absolutely agreed, flora & funga are superior in every aspect - community, flourishing, relationships. I’ve been exploring these themes for long now and there’s so much to learn from them. ☺️
You write beautifully well
Love how you shared your story on narratives. It's really deep
Thank you Prisca! Means so much you stopped by and also shared your thoughts. Grateful 🙏
This piece was fab 😃
🙏♥️
Beautiful and compelling piece, Ishita. Thank you for including me. I will see you out in the forest, being a tree sounds grand.
Made my day. I will see you out in the forest. 🫶
Thank you for allowing me to feature your words.
🌲🌲🌲
Love this. Identity is indeed a many splendored thing and so much more than what we simply do to make ends meet. Thanks for sharing this reflections, Ishita.
Thank you Scott for your kind words. I have noticed a lot of my work is leaning towards identity and self. Perhaps I am in the phase ever I’m going through reinventing myself and in that, I’m finding a lot of energy and purpose. 🤞
“We are poets and dreamers, secret artists and midnight philosophers.” What you say here is so true! This is the true value and beauty of humanity. Hope for the world. 🖤
This is so interesting! You are so interesting! I am glad I found you online!
Okay, one more thing ONLY! 😆 Almost immediately directed here after reading your essay. The universe abides.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thedancingboy/p/not-all-trees-are-for-leaning-against?r=18i7qw&utm_medium=ios
I possible CANNOT thank you enough for sending me to Josh's post. What a wonderful piece. Thanks Bree for stumbling upon my newsletter & sharing your love so freely! Appreciate it so much. :)
Wild, right? I was pretty gobsmacked. Really glad you dug Josh’s piece too. So SO fricking good.
Golly, Ishita—what an essay. Where do I start? So many synchronicities!! For brevity, I’ll stick to two:
1. I am also a devoted hugger of trees, as well as a proud advocate of the practice (some take me up on it, more than some just think it’s cute). I’ve always been particularly drawn to, and identify with, those trees that have clearly lived through their own rough patches… my business logo is a photo I took of a white pine, damaged by fire, still growing on the banks of Lake Tahoe. You’ve got the vibe on that, I’m sure.
2. The whole freight train thing. As a creative entrepreneur coach/mentor, this gets my goat screaming!! I’m with you 💯, and love love LOVE your list of rewritten narratives. Kinship, period.
BREE! Omg thank you so much for your lovely words. I can feel the energy through your comment.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this (errr..lengthy) essay. I admire you so much for sharing these synchronicities. Nothing like finding a person on the internet you can scream with together, amirite. <3
Ishita! You right!!
So glad you felt the love, and that it didn’t come off too sticky (I sometimes feel like I’m channeling my inner bey, getting so starstruck on amazing writing). Delighted to have found you… onward! 🧡✨
Never felt so calm after reading a story, this was what I needed, thankyou!, love from deep heart, heart emoji! I know you don't need any other comments, you know what my heart is feeling right now, thanking you again!
Anvesha, your words mean so much. If my writing can help even one person feel calm, my work as a writer is done. <3
So glad you chose to share with me about your feels. It's given me all the feels now. Thanks!
Hi Ishiguro, your words and ideas are original, creative and challenging. What a great voice you are for me to learn from. Daniel
Daniel, you're so kind to say that. I admire your generosity! :) Much love.
…lots of winning moments and philosophies in here…i of course landed on being a tree…i think it is valuable to see yourself in others as much as yourself…practice creative empathy…see life as living…there are worlds out there…endless worlds to live in…and they live right back in you…
CansaFis! It’s always lovely to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me earlier and also for your words on the post.
See life as living, so true. I am going to sketch this out. 🌻
This is fantastic Ishita. You are an example of narrative and context in the right hands. Thanks for introducing your work in WoP. Just beautiful.
Thanks a lot for your kind words, Rick! I appreciate you taking the time and reading this post. :)
What an incredible essay! I really love the way you started this essay, setting up the context & narrative, and then illustrating beautiful examples of how the "truths" we are fed impact the way we see the world in a way that actually facilitates more harm. I love symbolism of becoming a tree. Something that grows just by being not by pushing. Thank you for sharing!
Aw thanks Christina. This made my day. 💕
This was the first blog post I read when I came across your Substack. Thought-provoking and introspective. It made me reflect on my own narrative, which I discovered a couple of years ago: The Baobabs
A song by Sammy Davis Jr. — I’ve Gotta Be Me
A quote by Matt Khan: "People can only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves."
And the slow growth mindset from Matt D'Avella *
Great piece, Ishita! Thank you.
Thanks Beata 💕