The Tree That Broke Me Open

Mile marker 316 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I pulled over because my coffee was cold, not because I planned to fall apart. There it was—this single oak, perfectly framed against the morning mist. Not the biggest tree. Not the most photogenic. Just... there. Rooted. Unbothered by my quarter-life crisis or the fact that I'd driven 800 miles to "find myself." I sat on the hood of my car for an hour. Didn't take a single photo. Just watched the light shift through its branches and felt something I hadn't felt in months: still. Not the Instagram moment I expected. But the one I needed. Some trees teach you things about staying put when everything else feels like it's moving too fast. #UnexpectedMoments #BlueRidgeMagic #TravelRealizations #Travel