It seems everyone has a special part of nature that speaks to them--for me, it's trees. Even though San Diego CA had the most beautiful weather in the world, I wanted to get back to the Midwest for the deciduous trees--especially maples and oaks.

Another of my "different drummer" inspirations is the poet May Sarton, who expresses the value of trees when she says:

All the way down I had been in a state of great praise for trees, wondering...how could I ever live without them, thinking of their comfort, how they nourish and sustain us with their beauty and coolness, their steadfastness, the fact that they will outlive those who plant them. And I understood why old men plant trees....I would like to believe when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows seeds every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not loss, it is adding to future life. It is the tree's way of being. Strongly rooted, perhaps, but spilling out its treasure on the wind.

Albert Einstein said, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." I choose to pay attention to trees--to sit beneath them long enough to hear their slow, patient quiet lessons. Others may spend time with stars, oceans, mountains, animals, plants--whatever touches your heart and mind.