Watching him explore was like watching a scientist on a new planet. While I saw a landscape of soot, he saw a landscape of textures.
He noticed the way the sun caught the iridescent sheen on the burnt wood, and how the “alligator” scales of the bark felt like a puzzle under his fingers.There is a certain bravery in the way a child approaches the unknown
. He didn’t ask why the fire happened or complain that the trail was messier than last time. He simply accepted the forest in its current state.
His discovery of that “living wood” wasn’t an accident; it was the result of a mind that isn’t yet clouded by “what should be.”He was teaching me that discovery doesn’t require a pristine environment—it just requires an open heart and the willingness to get a little soot on your hands.
Gentle Trails journal 
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