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Withstanding the Elements

lone tree

It is all too easy to slip into a self-reflective mode where the nature around me becomes a metaphor for my own existance. Underfoot there are lichens and other small plants which closely hug the ground to protect themselves. The trees that have most successfully thrust themselves skyward have had to alter dramatically their very shape to meet the powerful prevailing winds.

These examples suggest life-style alternatives which are both equally discouraging. To become an indistinguishable element of the background, to cling to obscurity and avoid notice by a blending-in is one way. To choose the other course and to attempt to stand and be noticed will, according to what I see here, garner the attention of hostile forces which will require appeasement and compromise.

ground hugging