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Icelanders Are Hugging Trees Because Why Not?
This is the best and worst thing I’ve heard of this week.
You may have missed this small news item last week, but its pure genius and outside-the-box thinking make it worthy of extra attention. Apparently, Iceland’s suggestion for folks in need of physical contact during this extended time of social distancing is to find the nearest tree and wrap their arms around it in a big ol’ hug.
Say what?
According to Lonely Planet, “The Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) says that spending at least five minutes a day hugging your arboreal neighbors is a great way to beat loneliness in quarantine. Paths have been plowed through the snow in East Iceland to give residents easier access to trees, and trails have been expanded so hikers can get outdoors while keeping their distance. The IFS even updated its website with photos of people embracing trees of all shapes and sizes.”
How brilliantly simple and wholesome is that?
East Iceland’s forest manager Þór Þorfinnsson said in a radio interview, “When you hug a tree, you feel it first in your toes and then up your legs and into your chest, and then up into your head,”
Reportedly, tree-hugging inspires relaxation and makes one feel more prepared to face the day’s…
