He’s a little shy when someone approaches him to ask why he’s touching the trees. This is happening now, on a Tuesday, in via Zapata. We follow him from less neighborhood than journalistic issues and we see that, in general, obviously, he does not go unnoticed.
“Helena with H”, It shows up. He says he’s been doing it for so many years that “I knew this banana as a puppy. His name is Hector.” All with “h”? “No, it was a stroke of luck.”
That other one -now pointing to a tree in the corner- “his name is Luis Alberto”, from Spinetta, who dedicated a record to nature: for the trees.
“Luis Alberto is beautiful. The trees let themselves be embraced, it doesn’t bother them…”
THE hipsters they might think that touching a tree and a light pole are pretty much the same thing. We want to know if it is true that hugging trees helps to have visions of the past.
For now, Helena informs us that “professional photos, no.” And just to be clear: “I don’t give a damn about journalism” (He didn’t say “pepper”, that’s a very squishy understatement to substitute for his actual disdain).
bananas and limes
It’s not the same to touch banana trees as lime trees, two of the species that, he says, abound in the city. “Bananas are heavily criticized. Many think they cause fluff allergies, but they are necessary. And they are also trees that give ample shade and protect us from the harmful rays of the sun.”
Linden radiates an atmosphere that not even the Dalai Lama could. “It blooms in mid to late spring,” he reports. Is that the one with the tea? “It’s a tree that fights flu states.”
Admire nature in the city where the sun reflects only on the glass (this too is by Spinetta). Elena comes and goes. She must be your tour. She knows we are photographing her and threatens. “If she appears my face, she can cause problems at work.” From?! “They will think I’m crazy and well… a little maybe they’re right”.
The greengrocer at the corner of Santos Dumont does not suspect anything strange and does not even express himself because “the lady is an excellent customer”.
Elena with h He realizes that he has no routine and that it depends on the desire to do it. At first, you sneaked up on a specimen to avoid it “what they will say, a stupidity of the last century“. After a while he asks us if we have ever touched the grass of Plaza Francia with bare feet. Is Plaza Francia a figure of speech? “No” Hmm, I think not from there. “You have to.”
-Does yours have to do with the greenhouse effect or something?
-No, I’m not an environmentalist or anything like that…
Some days he goes straight to the Botanical and has a full stomach. What will he think of pruning? “Prunings are criminal acts. There is talk of pruning, but in reality it is indiscriminate killing.
-Are you saying that cutting down trees in a city is wrong?
-It’s a bestiality in times of climate change.
-Ecologist.
– No, housewife.
Helena is wearing a long dress. Sometimes we also see her with a hat. She is like grandma Sarah Kay.
Other benefits of trees
-Some people believe that trees are used by dogs to urinate…
I don’t know who thinks so…
-In the pandemic we used them in the absence of open bars…
-Disgusting what you tell me…!
-Who are you voting for?
-I would only vote for someone who guarantees me the protection of the environment in which I live.
-Milee?
-Mmmm, no, I think Milei is just the candidate. Milei must be in favor of polluting mega-mining.
-Is it vegan to walk around hugging trees?
I’m vegan, yes…
-When the case comes up, can’t we talk about “street harassment”?
-I don’t think it’s funny. Street harassment is a daily martyrdom.
trees with properties
Nature is more creative than men. we read it each tree was also created to heal a wound. Here then is that willow, for example, lowers blood pressure and strengthens the urinary tract or that “hawthorn helps digestion” and that cedar “reduces the sensation of heat”.
Fir, meanwhile, is foolproof for healing fractures and reducing swelling. And the fig has barbaric properties to purify the heart, while the pine is an immortal tree “with a powerful ability to heal body and soul”.
Tree therapy It is an ancient tradition with Celtic roots. He doesn’t limit himself to the experience of hugging trees as a way to feel better, but also exercises by frequenting woods and green spaces.
Araceli González also touches the trees. Have we ever seen her in the Japanese garden opening her arms as if she was going to hug all her fans.
-How do you hug a tree, Helena?
-You must surround the trunk and gently support the cheek. Once this is done, squeeze it hard, inhale and feel part of it.
A few years ago people hugged for free. Remember? They had also launched an application to find hugs in different parts of the city. Users uploaded their name and photo there, and a map put them the closest “hugger” to their neighborhood.
-Would you like Larreta to do a “Tree Ministry”?
-Yes, of course, in any city in the world that aspires to improve the quality of life, green spaces are necessary. In Spain there are organizations to embrace trees and responsible tourism which organizes outings to caress long-lived, large, historic and beautiful trees.
-And what causes you?
-It reduces my anxiety, relieves my stress and fights my insomnia.
-Is it as an alternative to clonazepam?
-I was hyperactive and I was cured.
Source: Clarin
