On oaks and trees and meaning

3 Back-story sources: Communicating at the roots

Trees and I go way back. I have had several tree friends in my life, and oddly, an oak is not one of them. Still, I ended up calling this The Clapping Oak. Here’s the back story.

Years ago I learned a song called “The Trees of the Field,” with the line “The trees of the field will clap their hands. . .” It’s taken from the Bible, Isaiah 55:12. I loved the image of joyful trees. That got me started, and to make the name more specific, it became The Clapping Oak, because it’s short and easy to say and the url was available at the time.

Then I read The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel and How They Communicate, by Peter Wohlleben. It was and is fascinating. It confirmed that I had chosen an appropriate name for my brand of a communication-focused business .

Then I discovered The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community, by Randy Woodley. It looks like a book for children, and it is, but it’s for grownups too. The main character in the book is Grandmother Oak — and oh my goodness, that spoke to me as a person. In a way, it’s who I am. I bought copies of the book to give to each of my children’s families.

We can learn so much from nature, in this case about communication, community building, and what really matters. I highly recommend you check out these books and then pay attention to trees and your own communication style with new eyes and ears.

(You’ll notice I don’t link to Amazon. Amazon doesn’t need more business. It’s a gorilla in the room of our economy. I prefer other smaller, independent booksellers. Better World Books is a favorite. It is also a nonprofit that donates books to literacy programs around the world. And no, I’m not an affiliate of any kind. You are free, of course, to make your own choices.)