Do you know about forest bathing?Is that even a thing?It’s a Japanese thing and it’s called shinrin-yoku.But when I started falling in love with my green friends,I didn’t know,this was even a thing!

But let me start at the very beginning.

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A post shared by Dr.Amrita Basu (MBBS,MS ENT) (@healthwealthbridge_dramrita)

I never visited a village before I was married.The closest to forested land  I ever went was Alipurduar (Boro mashir bari).It was lovely with a pond full of fish ,mango and coconut trees everywhere.

After marriage my hubby’s home was in a small village in Malda.Surrounded by mango gardens ,it was quaint,comfy,serene …but falling apart.Like family homes with multiple owners,this was struggling to survive.Belonging to many but owned by none meant ,it’s maintenance was becoming a nightmare.We visited occasionally during Durga Puja but never stayed .

It was 2020 and world went into COVID  lockdown.This was something none of us had ever seen or heard of.

Things flipped on its head during COVID lockdown. I felt caged inside the apartment house.My husband had a brain wave,the village home would get a revamp .My brother-in-law agreed and together they managed to restore the old home,build a new roof,raise a perimeter wall,a swing,a slide,a basketball ring,around 50 trees planted  and a kitchen garden started.

That was then and from 2020 to 2025 we have managed to plant around 500 trees as a family along with friends. We also managed to save around 50 mango trees from being cut down.But all this takes lots of blessings and money.But is not always profitable in the economic sense.

But if it means primordial prevention and money spent preventing developing conditions that cause illness…we did good.

We didn’t look back.The village home garden is my favorite place to spend the  weekend .

My friendship with trees,started with the jackfruit tree in the home backyard in Kolkata,followed my Balcony Garden ,village home garden and then the mango orchard.Its an interesting journey and I hope my tree friends continue to help me make my little town and village greener.

Did you know  light filtered through the green canopies filter out the harmful blue light and the green trees not only make the garden shaded, but just the right kind of sunny for you.These days since too much blue light exposure is behind a lot of health issues may be a stroll down a leaf lined park/road is just what you need for good health.On this World Health Day wishing you good health and happiness

If you want to know more about forest bathing ,check out this article

I am participating in Blogchatter A2Z 2025 and also the April Ultimate blog challenge and you can find all the April posts here. This is a F post.