Growing sideways

I went to see a friend this afternoon who seems to have lost his way a bit and is quite depressed.  I find it very hard to know the best way of supporting him.  It has been going on for a long time and it feels as if he is really stuck.  I came away feeling rather depressed myself.

On the way back I noticed a tree that had probably been blown down in the cyclone sprouting many new trees along its length.  It was as if, finding that it had been blown down, it had found a new way to grow from the side instead of the normal upright position.

I felt it said something for my friend, but maybe it was also saying something to me.