Walking the boardwalk at Kensington Metropark. It was the last hot day before the even hotter stretch we're currently having in Michigan. The boardwalk crosses over a lagoon-like part of Kensington Lake with blankets of lily pads. I imagine the iconic lotus and these water lilies are closely related. The flower grows out of the muck through murky water and extends above the water on its stem. The pads grow taller too with stems supporting the leaf over the water. Of course the metaphor of something beautiful emerging from a not so beautiful substrate is there. But, that's just a snapshot. I think it's just amazing to witness the continuum of nature. The plant is not static. It changes and is not separate from the muddy water and muck at the bottom. Neither are we humans static. All of our mess and beauty are mixed together, not separate, not singular, not something independent.