Bent, Not Broken

Authors

  • Anna P. Lazewski University of Colorado Boulder

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33011/cuhj20265039

Abstract

Here, a single tree lies windblown on the side of a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park. Having withstood years of relentless weather, it is no longer the same tree it was before. Its perseverance amidst adversity has left it changed.

Navigating the winds of life can be lonely. We all have something difficult we’re enduring—whether it’s loss, a setback, a sickness, or something entirely different—and it can feel a lot like this tree. It’s isolating. It’s grueling. And it feels almost like it might snap us in two.

This tree reminds us that though life might bend us, it will not break us. The challenges of life may test us, they may shape us, but they will not define inherently who we are as individuals. The tree is still a tree, and it is beautiful.

Author Biography

Anna P. Lazewski, University of Colorado Boulder

Anna Lazewski is a President's Leadership Scholar at the University of Colorado Boulder in the College of Arts & Sciences Honors Program studying International Affairs with minors in French and Leadership Studies. Her piece was inspired by the honors course, Environment-Society Geography, taught by Abby Hickcox.

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Published

2026-04-21

How to Cite

Lazewski, A. (2026). Bent, Not Broken. University of Colorado Honors Journal, 10. https://doi.org/10.33011/cuhj20265039

Issue

2026

Section

Open Media

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11-August-2014