Though Hurricane Ian made landfall much further south, the storm’s strong winds ripped through the Sarasota area last September. Myakka River State Park sustained quite a bit of damage, and several trails have yet to reopen.

My friend and I noticed a lot of downed trees during our recent visit but this scene in particular caught my eye. Look at how this pine tree twisted and bent before it finally snapped. The wind had to have been moving in a circular motion and incredibly fast.

I took this photo because I was in awe of the amount of force involved to snap that large tree like it was a toothpick. It wasn’t until I looked at the image on my computer that I realized there’s more to the story.

Look behind the broken tree. See all those palm trees? They underwent the same violent turbulence yet with their flexible trunks they managed to escape with minimal damage. I feel that’s a bit of a life lesson…