Long before I knew that trees were my destiny, certain friends called me a "treehugger." If that was meant to be a pejorative, it went right over my head. "Isn't everybody?" was my thought. No, I wasn't an activist beyond a check written to good causes and stewardship groups I admired. But I didn't think there was a cathedral on Earth that compared to the majesty of the redwoods, nor a luxury hotel penthouse that could rival camping in Yosemite or Sequoia. How lucky can I be to have heritage oaks surrounding my home and magnificent 60-70 foot eucalyptus along my favorite lake side hiking trail, just a minute down the hill. No question mark there- it was rhetorical. But the fact is, on a crisp and brilliant autumn day like today, an exuberance overtakes me. I feel lucky to be alive and in awe of that very eucalyptus with its smooth, age-worn trunk and glossy, green-blue crown. And it makes me so happy to be the only living soul on that trail on this day at noon that I do, indeed, wrap my arms around as much of its trunk as I can - barely a third - and I lay my cheek against it and give it a little squeeze.