In the span of the last 12 months, I lost my father, a very close family friend, and my best friend from college.

This past year has been a deeply reflective period on mortality and legacy.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to dead and dying things in nature. They, like people, are so undervalued in our eyes. Once vibrant and colorful, they continue to feed the earth with their “bodies.”

Here are a few beautiful leaves I saw while on a walk:

 

and my interpretation:

 

I believe that the more we live in presence, the less we fear “death.”