This tree

This tree stopped me in my tracks one chilly day in November. She stands at an intersection between three convening paths on Southbourne clifftop. Her stance strikes me as a perfect evocation of the beauty of survival. Her trunk appears to have grown almost perpendicular to the ground, but no doubt, this tree has, at some point, suffered a terrific blow, or alternatively, has been assailed over years, by a relentless force. To compensate, she has patiently grown a limb towards the soil, to steady herself and defiantly thrown her glorious foliage to the sky.

This tree

"Trauma creates change you don't choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose." Michelle Rosenthal