A leaf, some snow, a few ice-cyles and time

Timing. Nature travels through time at it’s own pace. Sure there are natural rhythms and patterns that have been followed since time immortal, but there is also randomness, a uniqueness that presents itself from time to time.

Take this leaf for instance. I was walking through the woods yesterday, not long after a significant snowfall of upwards of 8-10 inches, and stopped to contemplate this leaf. I was drawn to it. It was a stark contrast against the white glare that otherwise dominated the forest floor. I was intrigued. Why now? All of its companions were laying 8 inches below, buried, many already succumbing to the inevitable decay. Yet here was this leaf that had hung dearly to its limb, steadfast through months of rain, a pounding from a winter storm, and waited until after most of the snow had fallen to pop loose and float to the ground, to rest gently atop the snow. Random and beautiful.

Having observed many similarly shaped leaves falling through the air during the fall, I was again intrigued by how it landed. A leaf falls unwilled, showing front, showing back, no intentions other than to be a falling leaf, poetry in motion. Yet the laws of aerodynamics do take over, and I’ve noticed that most leaves that have a slight curl in them such as this one tend to sink “tines up”, wobbling and occasionally spinning, but otherwise maintaining a posture of least resistance. In other words, they will always fall with the opening of the bowl facing up unless acted upon by another force. Yet this leaf landed tines down, against the laws of physics. Did a wind blow across the ground here at just the right moment? Perhaps the leaf landed elsewhere and was blown upside down to stick here? What does it even matter?.

Take these ice-cycles for instance. Have you ever actually seen one form? They take the right conditions. They take time. We would struggle to observe the process, yet we are amazed at the result. A water droplet that has traveled through the expanse of time is now frozen in front of me. What causes the ridges to form? What causes the bubbles trapped inside? You see, every ice-cycle is a bit random and unique. They form different lengths, thicknesses, and patterns. Yet for all their amazing intricacies and distinctive character, there are destined to disappear. What takes days to form, can dissolve in an hour. Why bother.

As humans we often try to apply meaning to our observations. We attempt to understand the timing of events in our life and make sense of the why. More often than not the whys cannot be answered, and our need for answers causes us angst. To contemplate the leaf’s journey provides entertainment, yet to simply marvel at its place in time as I walk by provides real joy. To contemplate how a single water droplet adds to an ice-cycle provides intrigue, yet to marvel at its beauty right now provides true wonderment.

Sometimes, that is enough.

By nature, nature itself has no intentions to teach, reveal, guide, or clarify. It simply is. Yet it does all of these things and more through not doing any of it. This is the great paradox.

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