In Defense of a Tree!

As part of my reading goals this year, I tried to be more mindful in my selection. For two years, Coach Callos has been talking about the work of Julia Butterfly Hill and while I vaguely remember hearing about this "crazy" person sitting in a tree for more than two years, I really didn't know much about her.




Well, I just finished reading her book, "The Legacy of Luna" and I can tell you this woman is anything BUT crazy!





"Everything we do ripples out and affects other people's lives." JBH

For those of you that might be thinking, pretty boring topic, I can tell you her book read more like a suspense novel! Between the winter storms, the cold, the rain, the wind, the constant threat of the lumber company taking the tree down (with her still sitting in it); it was an all out battle to protect the life of this tree and the trees around it.



I had no idea of the sacrifice she made to protect this tree. Her supplies were typically limited, she was cold and wet a good majority of the time and there were many days were she was very isolated. She gave up most comforts we take for granted, like a bathroom, a hot shower and lots of contact with the outside world. Luna, the name of the tree, became a source of peace and inspiration for Julia and despite all of the hardships and all of the threats, she stayed steadfast in her goal of saving this tree. Throughout this whole ordeal, she treated everyone, even her adversaries, with respect, as love and compassion were her main weapons whenever dealing with confrontation.



During the course of the two years, she became a national celebrity (by accident) and while she never relished the role, being a fairly private person; she realized the significance of movement and studied and read and became an expert in forestry, lumbering practices and conservation, because she understood she was now the face of the movement.



She finally ended her tree sit when she successfully negotiated the guaranteed safety of Luna with the creation of a buffer zone around her.



This is an amazing story and and extraordinary woman!

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” Thicht Nhat Hahn





Chris Feldt


Samurai Karate Studio



803-462-9425



samuraikarate@bellsouth.net