We All Need a Tree

I could go on and on in this post with negative comments and observations from my day, but on my drive home I decided that I need to start leaving those things at the school. Like most everyone, I spend the majority of my day at work and don't often have enough time in the evenings for everything I want to do or need to get done. I decided today that those few short hours from the time I leave work until the time I go to bed need to be for me, for me to enjoy my non-working life. They are not going to be filled with my complaints and frustrations over meetings or students, especially when so many issues are out of my control. Life is too short for me to carry home the baggage from work and let it affect my evenings.

All of this got me thinking about an email I got from one of my cousins. Normally, I'm not a big fan of forwards, but this one actually got to me. I thought I would share it with everyone.

We All Need a Tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse. He had a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children... So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."