Motion in stillness

I’m always amazed at how much is going on in just a small sample of, well, anything really, but in particular, here and now, in the bark of this Modoc Cypress tree. There’s just so much to look at: several types of peeling bark, a scar of a severed limb, an almost invisible emerging limb. What strikes me most is the sense of motion I get as I observe.

 I can feel rather than see motion in the image. After all, the tree’s trunk was completely still when I took the shot. So perhaps my feeling is visual and metaphorical rather than actual. Or maybe motion in trees is somehow different from how humans move, more internal.

Another way to say it is: I “see” movement in the stillness of this tree, which for me reflects calmness and a touch of equanimity. I’m not sure if or how that manifests in trees and perhaps it says more about me than about trees. Yet it is helpful for me to have reminders of equanimity, reminders to get on with what’s important no matter the internal or external weather. Does it work that way for trees? Who knows…