As a child in my contemplative moments I always turned to nature and especially to the small things. It did not take much to entertain me, something as simple as a pebble would do. It was the interaction of the elements with the object that kept my attention. The object being intimately observed could show so much.In my hand I could feel the pebble's weight and its smoothness from years of tumbling on the shore. I could see how the light reflected on its curves and how its appearance changed as the sun dried the ocean away. Once a glistening...