“On pavements and the bark of trees I have found whole worlds.” ~ Mark Tobey

You may not have ever wondered or asked the question, but the answer is: there are about three trillion trees in the world, within more than 60,000 species. 

On a walk through a botanical garden yesterday,  I became fascinated with the skin of trees, their bark. 

I saw colors in more subtle shades of grey than I realized existed. Some are greenish. Some are reddish, tan, or brown. Some skins are soft; some, smooth. Some thick, some thin. Texture features on tree trunks are many. They can be shiny, dull, cracked, peeling, paper-like, furrowed, wart-like, bumpy, barnacle-like, patchy, mottled, seamed. Every one is fascinating. 

I come away thinking: How easy it is to appreciate the diversity we see in the skin of trees. Why not see beauty and interest in the range of colors and textures of human skin? Why not be awed by the uniqueness of a single tree and each individual person, on both the inside and the outside?
 
Today, let's pay close attention to something in the natural world and notice what happens in our inner world of thoughts and feelings. Let's give more attention to one human being too.

With love and compassion,
Charlene

THE ELEVENTH GIFT IS LOVE: It will grow each time you give it away. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth