Every tree has roots that set the foundation for the trunk and branches in the ground. 

I learned recently that some trees, like banyan trees, also grow aerial roots from the branches. Like the roots in the ground, some of these roots can absorb water and nutrients from the air. 

As these roots grow and reach the ground, they can thicken and develop into an additional new trunk, acting as support for a tree’s central trunk.

This fact, new to me, has gotten me thinking about my practice which I describe as branches, trunk, and roots. 

The roots of my practice are journaling, meditation, health, family, and friends. They help keep the trunk—this blog and my podcast, New Material—and branches—social media, publicity, and promotional activities are the branches—steady. 

The first possible example of an aerial root is travel. (I learned about aerial roots on a visit to Hong Kong Park.)