Feel human

Prompt 2: What was the last thing you did that made you feel like a ‘human being’, rather than a ‘human doing’? I sat under a tree and watched the world go by. It was the last thing I did that made me feel present and alive. From where I sat, I watched kids scoot by on their bikes with their parents not too far behind. I saw people walk their dogs and chat to strangers under a sky washed with white clouds. And my world was peaceful again. No longer frantically jumping from one activity to another, I felt I could breathe again. Whenever the city gets too much, or when I feel overwhelmed by the frantic pace of everything around me, I head to the nearest park, sit under a tree and take comfort in its shade. It’s also helpful when words and ideas refuse to flow. When I feel tired and tapped out, no longer able to squeeze out another sentence. There have been scientific studies that show being around trees lowers our stress hormones and calms our bodies. They lower cortisol levels and…