Heroes Not Zombies

Something clearly happened to this tree. Something catastrophic. But look how it has recovered in a completely different way.

It appears that it had a pretty substantial trunk but then fell over and broke in a storm. Either that or someone cut it down. But from the remaining stump and the deep hidden roots it began to grow upwards again. This time, not as a single trunk but three, even four. There are the twins following pretty much the same direction as their larger predecessor, but there are two others as well, one just beyond the twins and a fourth one forging an entirely different path off towards the right in this photo.

Living creatures have astonishing powers of recovery and resilience and their exact paths forward are unpredictable.

Many times patients told me stories of illness where their chances of recovery seemed slim, but they went on, not only to recover, but to develop along completely unpredicted lines. Many times a serious illness or accident brought about a complete reassessment of life and a patient would make big life changes….in relationships, work, housing, even in their most important values.

I don’t think anyone would advise a serious accident or illness as a means to a better life, but what I witnessed again and again was the emergence of a completely new way ahead for those who recovered from a major life threatening event.

As with this tree you just can’t predict how an individual is going to flourish differently.