yin and yang

there is something wise-seeming about an olive tree that is hundreds of years old. a friend who makes wine here recently transplanted two olive trees that were standing on the day, 500 years ago, when leonardo da vinci died. they are still here, gnarled and thick, listening to the sounds of traffic on the highway, and looking as if they understand all of the difficulty and sorrow of life. i thought that yin and yang, made of olive leaves, was maybe the correct symbol to acknowledge such calm in the face of the world.

olive leaves from our terrace: autignac, france