In the last few days of October, I went in search of fall color. Surely it was time, right? Yet where I live, the change is happening every so slowly. Is it climate change? Not enough rain? Too much rain? I never know which factors come into play the most as I wait for those bright reds and deep golds to show up in the surrounding landscapes.

What I saw in my search were subtle shifts. A few solo trees were showing off with eye-catching colors, but I mainly saw the greens slowly fading to gold, plants trading blooms for seeds, distant hills hinting at the autumnal hues to come.

As is often the case, my eyes started seeing lots of small details, textures and shapes. Nature has a way of showing us the beauty in ordinary things, some right beneath our feet.

After days of heavy rain, I was most grateful for the sunshine. It can make even the simplest things look special.

Training my eye to see the beauty in small things is also good for practicing gratitude. There are many wonderful sights to see, if I just take time to slow down and look. Everything in nature can be a work of art.

There are so many lessons to learn from nature; being present for the beauty in the here-and-now is one worth remembering as these autumn days fade to winter. What lessons is nature teaching you?