The Beauty of Imperfection (Revisited)

Each year Americans spend billions of dollars to ensure our faces stay young and clean and acne-free.  I, myself, am a regular contributer to that industry purchasing cleansers, toners, exfoliating scrubs, and pretty much anything that is enhanced with SPF protection.  I do this in an often futile pursuit of a blemish-free face.

My standards for trees are vastly different than what I hope to see in the mirror each day.  With trees, if I passed by one that had the clean complexion I covet, I wouldn’t even give it a second glance. It’s the trees with the flaws– the tumors, the growths, the cracks, the peeling bark and deformed postures– that interest me the most.

Here’s one such tree from Dragon’s Tooth.  It was completely covered with tumors from top to bottom.  Even the tiniest of branches are riddled with growths.  This is not the Heidi Klum or Elle McPherson of trees.  This tree is suffering some kind of ailment on the caliber of J.J. Redick’s much discussed “bacne”.  But to me, it’s beautiful.

The tree’s ailment spans its entire height

Just some of the tree’s many tumors

Even the tiniest twigs sport growths