The sun beats down on the branches swinging in the sky. The leaves glisten and reflect a beautiful shade of green. The sound of birds chirping surrounds you: summer at its finest. The bark winds up the tree in its challenging maze-like patterns, covered in moss. This was once something that could fit in your palm. I tilt the camera upwards and focus on the tree, trying to capture as much as I could of it in one photograph.

So, here we are. Back to trees again. There is just something inspiring about these tall, magnificent creations that are mesmerizing to look at, don't you think? To me, they are a representation of universal patterns found in the lives of every single person: suffering (everyone has a tough day now and then), growth (today is the youngest that you will ever be), danger (the world is a pretty tough place to live), determination (something has got to keep you going), and both dependence (you need stuff) and independence (you have to do some things for yourself). It's kind of neat how people and trees are so similar. We all start small, and then we grow and change and become who we were meant to be one day at a time. It might not always be easy, but it is worth it. We might not always want to keep going, but we pull through it. We might not be traveling on an easy road, or planted in an easy spot, but we make the best of it.

Really, though, it is not so much about what I am saying but what you are seeing. What thoughts come through your mind when you look up this tree?