December is always a time of reflection for me. Therefore, to gather my thoughts and reflect on what I learned over the past year, I decided to go for a walk in the forest. On my walk, I found a very tall tree and decided to stop and think. As a nature lover, whenever I see a tall tree, the term “growth” comes to mind. Growth of any kind is a process, whether it be individually or collectively.

During a routine run around my local lake this past weekend, instead of bringing my headphones like I usually do, I decided to be silent in nature and reflect on my journey. On the west coast, we are lucky to have some of the biggest trees in the world. Trees teach me a lot and being in their presence reminds me to think outside myself. The trees around here have been growing for hundreds of years and keep reaching higher, despite obstacles.  They are a force to be reckoned with – I haven’t even touched on how deep their roots must be.  Check out this beautiful video I found called "Growing is Forever" that I thought would visually encapsulate what I feel when I am surrounded by these tall trees.