Mr. Wood.

The tree was stubborn. No need to talk. Done. He closed his door. Small eyes appeared. Half closed. Looking down. Wounded. Mr. Wood used his ego defense mechanism. He was mad. Angry. Miss Roots had been so rude. For the seventh time in a row. They always had such a good time together and then she ruined it. Just like that. He always opened his wooden heart to her, and then she managed to put a knife in it. Leaving her signature. He was getting older, his heart was not so flexible anymore.

This time the fight started when Miss Roots assumed that he had fallen in love with Miss Leaves, another tree. Miss Leaves was a beautiful tree as well with many good qualities. Miss Roots was afraid that she would lose the love of her life, so she started a blame game. She reacted. She over-exaggerated. In fact she was perceiving things that were stored inside her wooden head. She was into a fear state of mind. Miss Leaves felt attracted to Mr. Wood but was not planning to ask his wooden hand. She had other issues to deal with first.

Miss Roots felt bad. Her whole body was stiff. She could hardly walk. Out of balance. It was as if she was watching a drama movie. She wanted to speak to Mr. Wood. Or better not. She felt ashamed. She felt the need to express her negative emotions. All of them. She was hard on him. Never asked his opinion first. The other trees felt the tension. It was terrible. No tree dared to sing a song. She was silent. He looked down. This could have been going on for weeks. The forest in deep despair.

A white bird - from royal origin - landed on Mr. Wood's arms. The bird was cleaning its wings after a long flight. Suddenly it stopped its activity. A strange vibration in the air. It felt the tension. "What happened here, tree?", said the bird. "Let it be", replied Mr. Wood, "I do not want to talk about it". The bird was not planning to give up. "Come on, tell me, please!", a new try. "Well, a tree that I like, just hurted me again, and I have had it with her", that is all, replied Mr. Wood. "Why, tell me why?", was the next question. Mr. Wood explained all details. The bird understood the situation.

White birds know what to do in such scenarios. It came with a plan. Miss Roots caused the trouble. That was clear. Admitted, Mr. Wood could have been more communicative as well. The bird knew an expert in communication, named Bob Paff. He recently launched 'Communication Strategies for Meaningful Connections', Mr. Wood could get support there. As for Miss Roots, she had to learn a lesson. The ego mind sometimes puts false beliefs in the air. We get easily triggered under specific conditions. What we believe, is what we see. Miss Roots had to be informed.

She was afraid to lose her big love. So she projected her fears into reality. She saw the scenes happening, that were played in the room of her deepest fears first. Probably linked with precious painful experiences. Mr. Wood listened carefully. He was impressed. Now he understood the behavior of Miss Roots. His feelings changed. He realized that she must love him deeper than the deepest roots. In a moment of weakness her fears came to the surface. To protect her from change, the ego steered her in a specific direction. Interpreted things way out of context.

White bird unfolded its plan. During the night it visited Miss Roots. She was asleep. The bird left a present. A beautiful white rose. With a white card attached to it. A romantic text appeared. It said: "I will always love you deeply, our hearts are one". In the morning Miss Roots woke up. She saw the message and started to cry. Her wooden tears cleaned her negative emotions. She tuned in to Mr. Wood again. Asked him to forgive her. Mr. Wood could not hate her or be mad at her. His heart simply loved her. Always. All ways.

He looked into her wooden eyes and said: "When you are so vulnerable, I love you even more. You really love me and that is all I need to know". Miss Roots nodded. Grateful for her smart Mr. Wood. She kissed him on his wooden cheeks. They both turned red. The other trees were happy. Peace restored in the forest. All wooden hearts in sync. The tension was gone. The sun was shining again. They say that you always have to count to 10 before you react, because love thrives in peacefulness and being grounded. Miss Roots learned her lesson and became the sweetest tree in the whole world!

By Liesbeth Leysen

Professional Writer

More information on Bob Paff's communication expertise: https://betamore.com/education/communication-strategies-3/