One does not have to visit Chile, New Zealand or southern Australia to find a rain forest.  We visited the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park in the state of Washington.

As a result of enormous amount of rain – 12 to 14 feet/year, there were wonderful trees decorated with moss varieties and ferns.

I love the draping effect of the growth on the branches.  The variety of growth in this tree is beautiful.

It reminds us that beauty does not need to conform to any particular convention.  Society promotes beauty to conform to certain standards.  Just as this tree’s beauty is a reflection of the rain and other environmental factors which cause the variety of growth, our individual standard of beauty should be a reflection of our internal processes and experiences which will effect the outward appearance.  May we focus on our inward growth to improve our outward persona.

See below is a link to learn more about the Hoh Rain Forest.

What are Temperate Rain Forests?