The spirit of the landscape has the patience to see who we really are.

Each of us seeks a mirror in which we can see our true self most clearly. Generally, other people cannot serve as the primary mirror, for they - like us - are often distracted and preoccupied, and thus do not have the patience to look beyond our superficial qualities in order to see into the depths. The spirit of the Landscape, on the other hand, has all the time in the world. It is She who possesses the silence - a stillness whose other name is love - as well as the perseverance and patience to see into the truest part of who we really are. When we understand this fact, we are then able to maintain a lighter touch with people, a stance which gives them the freedom to serve as partial mirrors that are then capable of revealing to us bits and pieces of our own true self.

Photo: Beartooth Butte reflected in Beartooth Lake; Beartooth Mountains, WY; August 4, 2013