How to grow sideways

I spend a lot of time outside. This is my favorite tree.

Here's a size comparison. I sometimes sit on it to eat my lunch.

So why did it grow like this? Because at some point when the tree was young, the hill began to break away beneath it.

The disintegrating ground has been trying to lay the tree down for decades. It's also slowly rolling the tree over. In other words, the tree has to keep changing it growth direction, while it's fighting to hang onto the slipping ground.

It gets worse.

The tree ends in a pointy snag. Years ago, a nearby tree fell and ripped the top out of this one. Furthermore, insects have invaded it. (That's the lighter patch below the break)

Unlike the other trees around, which have grown straight and tall, this tree struggled every day of it's life, because of things that it could not change.

But look.

It has green leaves.

It's still alive. It's still fighting.

It hasn't given up.

Never...

Never...

Never give up.