You shouldn’t hug people right now, but you can still hug trees

I hugged a bunch of trees in my stepmom’s backyard today. Chris LeBlanc photo

I’ve never considered myself that much of a hugger, but man do I miss clamping my arms around my friends in these days of social distancing.

I have to resist the urge every time I see someone I care about. It’s like I’m on a retractable leash. I start going in for contact, then back away at the last moment, when I remember we’re living through a pandemic and we’re not supposed to get within 6 feet of each other.

Someone put a surgical mask on a tree on West Rim Drive. Pam LeBlanc photo

Since I can’t hug my human friends, today I decided to hug trees. I’ve always considered myself a tree hugger anyway; this was just a more literal illustration of how I feel about nature.

And you know what? Feeling that rough bark under my arms and getting a nice deep whiff of oak or cedar or mesquite made me feel a little bit better.

Go out and hug a tree. I’m pretty sure they hug back in their own slightly stiff way.

Double hug from a double tree. Chris LeBlanc photo