The truth is we will all die, and most every one of us humans on earth orientate our whole lives to avoid and conquer this reality.

But at this angle, with only our imminent death in our focus, no wonder we all work so hard to stay distracted and in opposition to the truth. When we wider our lens, we allow other truths, and see that seemingly polarized entities can co-exist and in fact do, in harmony.

Look at this leaf, curling into itself like an ancient hand, clutching. It was a marvelous spectacle, these red leaves all spring and summer and now it is time for this Japanese maple to go inside itself and hibernate, and to do so, it must shed its stunning leaves. They leave as if they are up for one last fight – fist up, five points like fingers bunched together and wrinkled. Yet, they are not dead at all; as they fall and are crushed under winter, they will nourish the ground that they once provided shade.

Not all of life, and certainly not human life, is so simple. Our life cycles have become complicated by rituals of consumption that can often leave us stressed and worried, too busy, and sucked into the demanding narrative of modern life. And, those demands are true too.

Consider for today to recognize aspects of the natural world around you, the nature of the world in you, and the practice of widening your lens to include it all, the death, the rebirth and everything you can see and imagine in between.