The trees that bend but do not break

Ready for anything
Deerfield Beach, FL
February 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram

As I write this, Tropical Storm Helene is churning through the Gulf of Mexico, and is projected to make landfall late Thursday as a hurricane somewhere on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

I took this photo last year not far from there, beside a beach, the palm trees swaying in the light breeze of a typical sunny afternoon overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

I stared at those trees for a while, admiring their ability to gently absorb the energy from the sky. And when the winds picked up, they still stood their ground, whispering just a little louder as they danced high above the ground.

They’re built for it, these trees. They take whatever gets thrown their way. They bend, but they do not break.

I think of friends and family now preparing for the storm’s arrival, wondering what the sky might bring next and hoping they’ve done enough. Anyone with a connection to this corner of the planet understandably worries about those now in the storm’s path.

I hope at some point the folks on the ground look to the palm trees and realize that they, too, just like the trees, are built for this. They’re stronger than they look, and they’ll bend into whatever blows their way, then bend back after the storm has passed.

It’s what humans do, whether storms come from the sky, or from some other place.

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Related:

Urban palm tree forest, February 2019

Palm fronds above my head, February 2018

Sunset in a faraway place, July 2015

Choosing to look the other way, April 2013

Dancing in the sunset, April 2013

On golden palm, February 2010

Palm Pilot, December 2008