After breaking my back, I felt trapped in a body I no longer trusted. I took this picture while hiking with my family in Australia. They walked right by this tree, searching for a waterfall, but it stopped me in my tracks. I couldn't help but stare at it, wondering what it had been through in its life as I reflected on my own challenges. I was stunned by its lightning, scarred beauty, and how, among so many perfect trees, it truly belonged there. I belong in my beautiful body, not despite my scars, but because they give me strength.
