Broken

I took this image a couple summers ago when we had a horrible storm at our house. Our house sits on a beautiful yard that has been described as "park-like" by several people. This storm was devastating to the trees in our yard. It also broke a hole in the roof of our garage when a large branch came crashing down on top of it. This image of the bent tree is a more mild example of what happened, but I like the angle it creates and the leading line from the stream to the sharp angle. It creates interest because viewers automatically know that something is off and this image is showing something that is different than we think it should be. I also really enjoy all the tones of green. They seem to kind of blend in together, yet every separate element can be discerned apart from the others.
Images of broken nature always make me think about what happens to us when we go through hardships. It is most often the way we react to situations that determines our outlook. However, no matter how we react to situations, we often carry the scars from past experiences for the rest of our lives. They are often helpful, but they are just as often hurtful. We are shaped by what we go through and how we behave in those situations. This tree could have been completely lost and broken if it had snapped off. Instead, it was flexible enough to just bend, however, it's scar is that it stayed there. It was not able to right itself. It is still there today and it will leaf out again in the spring. Our experiences have a very large impact on who we are and what our lives are like, but that doesn't mean that we have to bow to those circumstances and be changed negatively because of them. We have to make the decision in how to react to what is happening, and although we will probably carry the marks of that experience, the way we react can make all the difference in what those marks mean.