Seeing the forest in the tree

Autumn in New England is justifiably famous for its spectrum of colors -- the leaves on the (many) trees turn hues ranging from soft gold to intense scarlet. Think postcard or calendar views of a church with a white steeple surrounded by hillsides covered in a tie-dye of yellows, oranges, reds, and golds.

Or you could look at it differently.

Christopher R. Martin, Connecticut's official state forester and director of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's division of forestry, offers a different perspective:

When out for a look at the fall foliage, enjoy the overall display of color, the panoramic big views, but don't neglect a good close look at a single showy tree at the peak of its fall color.

"Don't miss the moment in front of you," Martin said. "Individual trees can be as spectacular as a 30-mile view."

Look at one tree, and see how not all leaves are the same color. Look at one leaf, and see the perfection of that. See variations in color, veins, position, size. Without cataloging it, just appreciate that it is both perfectly unique and part of the totality of the tree and the environment.

You can bring that same attention to your breath. Each breath is part of your own living organism, but it's also part of the environment of your body and of existence. Your breath and the tree inter-are, giving each other the type of molecules each needs.

Can you look at one leaf? Can you be with one breath? And you see the whole forest in that one tree, the totality of existence in that breath.

It's there.