🧡Thankful Thursdays: Still Standing

Some days feel like too much. You know the ones—when life pulls at you from all directions, stretching your strength and testing your spirit. Days when the emotional weight is heavier than anything I’ve lifted in the gym. When the work I love feels endless, when the stories I carry for families press a little deeper into my own chest, and when it feels like the world has splintered me just like this tree—twisted and broken, yet still rooted.

And that’s exactly why I’m thankful for places like Palo Duro Canyon.

Having this wild, sacred space practically in my backyard is more than just convenient—it’s a lifeline. I can lace up my boots, grab my hydration pack, and go. Out here, the wind doesn’t ask anything of me. The sun doesn’t need me to explain myself. And the trees—yes, even the ones torn and weathered—remind me that survival can still be beautiful.

This week, I found myself standing in front of a tree that looked like it had been cracked open by some unseen force. Its branches were twisted, its trunk splintered wide at the base. And still, somehow, it was alive. Its top still green. Still growing.

I saw myself in that tree.

I think we all carry breaks and bruises that don’t show on the outside. But just like that tree, we can keep reaching for the sky. We can stay rooted in who we are and find strength even when we feel frayed at the edges.

So today, I’m thankful—for nature, for movement, for this canyon that holds space for my heaviest thoughts and helps me come back to myself. For every quiet step along a dusty trail that reminds me: I don’t have to be whole to be worthy. I just have to keep going.

☀️ Sunshine Says:
Even when life cracks you open, let the light in. You’re still here. You’re still growing. And that’s enough.