Do you do anything so well, so different, so incredible, so odd so, so WHATEVER,  that it just might get you a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records?  A lot of people dream of that and have that as a goal in life.

As a reminder:  Guinness World Records, "started in 1955...is a  reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world"

The book is extremely popular - "The book itself holds a world record, as the best-selling copyrighted book of all time. As of the 2019 edition, it is now in its 64th year of publication, published in 100 countries and 23 languages, and maintains over 53,000 records in its database."

In short, getting in the book is a pretty big deal and some people will go to ridiculous lengths to get there.

Ok, what would you do to get in?

How about this - What comes to mind when you hear the words "Tree Hugger"?

One dictionary description is - someone who is regarded as foolish or annoying because of being too concerned about protecting trees, animals, and other parts of the natural world from pollution and other threats.

When I think about tree hugging I think about "hippie environmentalists" willing to chain themselves to trees to prevent logging or forest management practices.  I think of people whose passions extend beyond resonableness.

So, if we take the idea of setting a world record (COOL) and attach it to an example of tree hugging (UNCOOL) and what you get is, well, this story!

First, I must say I never put the two ideas of Guinness World Records and tree hugging together but a Tennessee woman did.

United Press International reports  Adrienne Long spent 10 hours and 5 minutes with her arms wrapped around a walnut tree at Heritage Park in Chattanooga's Brainerd neighborhood to break the previous tree-hugging record, which stood at 8 hours, 15 minutes.

The tree wasn't a giant species being threatened, it wasn't out in the woods in the middle of nowhere. I was just there, in a park, in Tennessee.  On a scale of "difficulty" it equates with something like hugging a light pole.  But it did require a commitment in time so there is that...

The attempt was live-streamed on the World Record Tree Hug page on Facebook.

The event was tied to a purpose beyond just setting the record.. Long's efforts were intended to raise money for her local Audubon Society.

What is that you ask? From the Audubon Society's website "Audubon's mission is to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. We conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity."

So yes, this is what we have been building to...and now you can say it with me..."a world records spent hugging a tree for  ten hours is...For The Birds!"

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