Stretching into new areas

The trees are leafless. Normal for this time of year in New England. Fascinating all the same. Look at them closely! The tips are thin. Work back down toward the branches. As you do so the branches get thicker. As you work your way down the branches to the trunk, the thickness increases. Below ground, the roots spread out in a pattern something like what we can see above ground. How do you reach out to learn something new? Do you send forth a thin query? Or do you jump in whole lock, stock, and barrel?