Seeing the Small

Not a day goes by that I don't pass a tree, and seeing it in its entirety, I forget it came from one small seed, perhaps carried haphazardly by the wind or dropped by accident. What I see is the tree: its shade, its fruits, its aesthetic. Often, I do not even consider the single leaf going about its photosynthesis way. Rather, I see the grouping of leaves spread out like fans or fingers on the palm of a hand, waving hello to the breeze. But each leaf is there to do its part. Each shingle of bark. Each sprig of root. And, I quickly pass, to-do list in hand, catching in my periphery a blurred shape with solid stalk and moving limbs - one tree. So many small, brilliantly crafted parts.

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make, which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee."

~ Marian Wright Edleman