Petaluma tree sprouts hopes, dreams of passersby

On a west Petaluma street corner stands a tree that bears witness to some of the most fervent desires of the city’s residents.

Scribbled on slips of paper and tied carefully among the foliage of the so-called wish tree, those requests range from pleas for peace and acceptance to calls for adventure to “more smiles, laughs, cuddles and burritos.”

Conceptualized by Sarah Healy, who owns a stately Victorian home nearby, the tree is now in its second iteration. Healy, who has lived in Petaluma for seven years, conscientiously sets out paper tags and pens for passersby to share their wishes on the branches of the blossoming crepe myrtle. In the winter, the tree is out of commission so the papers aren’t soiled by the rain.

“It’s so amazing what people write,” Healy said.

A friend in Berkeley had a similar tree that was a source of inspiration, and after Healy mentioned she was enthralled with the concept, her friend mailed supplies. Within the first week, the branches were adorned with more than 200 wishes, she said. Her daughters, 9-year-old Mira Middleton and Luca Middleton, 6, have both been drawn to the tree and the family has contributed their own decorations and wishes.

“These days especially, we need as much positivity and hope as we can get,” she said. “It’s amazing how a simple little thing has taken off. It’s been really fun.”

She’ll often come home to people penning wishes, and a special needs school makes field trips to see the spectacle. The tree is also on a popular walking route to the nearby Petaluma High School.

“A lot of the messages from the high school students are pretty telling - like, ‘I wish my dad would hug me’ or ‘I wish I do well in school this year’ or ‘I wish I would fit in.’ It’s a nice anonymous place for people to write what’s going on inside,” Healy said.

One of the zaniest wishes has been for “endless pizza,” she said, while others are more simple and earnest - such as “I wish each human will know our true goodness.” A faded message written in a child’s scrawl sought lower rent prices, accompanied by a simplistic drawing of a house, echoing themes of a mounting housing crisis in the community.

“We’re all walking around with these different stories and lives going on and I think we forget to be connected to each other and remember that everyone is working on different things. This tree is a reminder for me of the different things that people are processing,” Healy said.

Healy’s tree served as an inspiration for Sharon Weiss Bello, who two years ago created her own wish tree at the corner of Edith and Palmer streets. She discovered Healy’s creation while taking her former class from the Gan Israel preschool at the nearby B’Nai Isreal Jewish Center on a walk through the neighborhood.

“It’s so magical,” she said. “Just the idea of people throwing a wish out there and it’s hanging from the tree and blowing in the wind. Most of the wishes are for positive things - healing for people or good in the world. It just seems like a really sweet thing for people to be able to do.”

She hopes the tree accentuates the diverse nature of her west Petaluma neighborhood. Wish trees have been spotted around the globe, and have varied cultural and religious significance.

“I hope that it brings just a little bit of delight as people walk by and have a moment of pause,” she said. “Our neighborhood is so eclectic… it’s a well-suited tree for our neighborhood. We have a mix of all different kinds of people in the neighborhood who probably all have a common goal and all live in harmony. I hope it brings solidarity and harmony as people walk by and take a minute to write a wish.”

(Contact Hannah Beausang at hannah.beausang@arguscourier.com.)