Arroe Collins Forest Stories

In our last episode we took note of the earth giving up something of human value. How? On this episode we look deeper into the mystery to see how reality plays its own role in our efforts of planting purpose.

Ghosting a friend or family member in 2026 versus dumping your friends while in middle and high school. They are one in the same except now we have a title. Ghosting... It's completely natural and it comes with a lot of weight or would that be wait? How many times have you waited too long on a friend and the weight of it all was too much to bare?

With so much sickness on this planet, can we give it to a tree? A bigger story rests in the idea of a tree giving you the virus first. What?

True story...my boy boy Ernie was laid to rest in this forest in January of 2026. I placed three crosses in the soil with him. Today, nearly six months later, those three crosses were found on the surface of the forest floor. How?

Fall isn't just known for its unbelievable display of colors and cooler temperatures. It's also, for many, a sign of things coming to an end. It causes depression, anxiety and departure issues. What if we looked at the life beyond the walls of fall?

We all get a gut feeling. Most of the time that gut feeling is a negative or it's coming from someone who has never walked an inch in your shoes. Facing your gut feelings...

There are no two forests the same, yet you can celebrate their presence the very same as your favorite collection of trees. Just be aware of where nature is presently standing with its own plan and decisions.

Two years after Helen hit North Carolina, the cities and roads have been repaired but have the inner wounds of the people who managed the land? A moment in history captured by a poet's pen in the way of knowing what's happened to his own collection of trees.

My third-grade teacher preached to us every day, "Your desk is what your real life looks like. If it's cluttered and difficult to locate things in...ummm that's also your world away from the desk."

When I first entered this forest in 1992 the lower section of the 95 foot drop in the hill was blessed with ample amounts of wild blueberries. My daughter chose to make this is favorite reading place. Today, they're all gone. But not the memories planted inside our growing forever.

We rarely speak of the before effects of an everyday world. We'll spend hours and endless amounts of money on the repair but hardly if ever on the steps leading toward.

When solitude reaches back to bite us. Those places or moments that invite so much love for our inner soul and they come with a twist in the plans. Are we being selfish with nature when we refuse to walk in the rain?

We have never erased our daughter's presence as a teen from our home in this forest. The moment you step into her room you're taking a time machine back to the early 1990's. Let the children play. Then save it beyond forever.

A lot of American businesses are locked in on cleaning house. People are getting laid off or fired. The laziest thing anyone can say is, "I didn't see it coming." Not true! The signs were there. Now what? Go with the flow. That old job was a rock in your stream getting in your way. You didn't lose anything. They did! Winning is a choice. Don't make the decision to quit on yourself.

Caught in the center of a classic southern tropical storm. Three inches of hard pouring wet and the land has decided to shift. It didn't stop us from entering the forest. To study everything including the leaves of a tree to pine needles and more importantly the animals. Everything living creation was happy except for the human. We tend to always complain about rain.

Greeted by two owls. Which always tickles the inside of my child sized heart. I do know of the darker side of these birds of prey but choose instead to see there's always two sides to every coin.

Thanks for being part of the conversation I am the Poet In The Forest. A children series I penned out in the 1990s. None of it would be possible if it wasn’t for this forest in South Charlotte, NC. I talk about it so much that I thought maybe it’s time you get to meet all that inspires me. Thanks for being part of the conversation

No business is safe. No matter where you work, the new business model is to rid the system of its excess weight. Fire, layoff or cut the hours of the employees required to make business a success. Number crunchers don't see eye to eye with the images now tarnished by the American ego and its addiction to employee mistreatment and a bonus check managers will be rewarded with by accepting bad performances for cost cutting accounting numbers. How does the injured employee get back on their feet. It's in the mirror.

Do you believe in resurrections?  They happen every day.  But are you willing to listen, to participate, to explore and find newer ways to understand your personal journey? This podcast isn’t about what we study and see through the eyes of religion. My Boy Boy Ernie spoke with me every chance we had together.  But this isn’t about resurrecting a spiritual brother of nearly 34 years.  This resurrection is that of a writing instrument. Verbal documentation of what some may call a vision quest.  Trusting the great mysteries of life.  Tools are handed to us to carve out each expectatio...

An arborist told me in 2024 that trees do not take note of how much we love them. They do respond to our touch, but the relationship isn't what we think. It challenged me to take even a closer walk with the trees. Three writing instruments have been planted deep into the soil around North Carolina. The goal is to receive the energy and language from everything available to share that lives beneath the soil. So far, its three different forests but I hope to stretch that to 10 or 20. Every place you plant your foot history has been stored. Are you...

So often we hear or read stories about the walk up talk rolling hills or mountains, what about the adventures that ensue while struggling to keep your balance going down?

I'm guilty of it. Watching leaves fall from trees and thinking about how short of a life a leaf has. Does it? How often do you look beyond the final dance?

People with motivation and opinions surround us every day!  Your decision making is based on what they feed you.  Oh Oh... have you ever asked yourself the questions then questioned the answers?   The cold hard facts about stepping in a pile of dog crap... you can scrape it off your shoes but the smell never goes away.  Why are you wasting your time asking people for leadership when you've never started with yourself first.  You wear those shoes they don't.  Where the hell are they are two in the morning when your heart and soul can't stand the mental beating...