Today I was walking though the woods and saw a recently fallen tree. We had a terrible storm Saturday so I assume this tree was one of its victims. As I walked by I stopped to admire the roots. It was interesting to see up close the invisible part of the tree that expands below our feet in a vast network. I recognized that the tangles of roots resembled our own complex network of veins and arteries. It then occurred to me that this is in fact the tree’s veins and arteries. The expansive network that keeps this tree alive. This tree, once so tall, has probably been alive longer than me, is laying on the ground. In its last days of life. So I put my hand on it and said goodbye.