The Trouble Tree
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Long Beach, Ms.
The Trouble Tree
The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and then his old pickup 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 tanned 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 is for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."
"The 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."
From; The Trouble Tree
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,770
Likes: 14
From: The Great North~West!
I know people who do this but in a different manner.
They come home and are completely disengaged from their family. They are so worried about dumping the troubles of the day on them, that they just don't talk to them at ALL. Kinda defeats the purpose, if you ask me. Because pretty soon there is no family left to try to protect. Maybe I should buy them a Trouble Tree for Christmas?!?!
Unless I'm asked, I never talk shop at home. Even then, I only skim over the good details. Rarely about anything troubling. I leave my work troubles sitting on my desk in a neat little pile and gather them up the next day to chew on them some more.
I talk so infrequently about work, that those closest to me, with the exception of my daughter, don't even know the names of the people I work with. My Honey doesn't even know the name of my climbing partner and this is a man who holds my life in his hands, quite literally, at times.
I like the metaphor of a trouble tree. I never thought of it in this manner before.
They come home and are completely disengaged from their family. They are so worried about dumping the troubles of the day on them, that they just don't talk to them at ALL. Kinda defeats the purpose, if you ask me. Because pretty soon there is no family left to try to protect. Maybe I should buy them a Trouble Tree for Christmas?!?!
Unless I'm asked, I never talk shop at home. Even then, I only skim over the good details. Rarely about anything troubling. I leave my work troubles sitting on my desk in a neat little pile and gather them up the next day to chew on them some more.
I talk so infrequently about work, that those closest to me, with the exception of my daughter, don't even know the names of the people I work with. My Honey doesn't even know the name of my climbing partner and this is a man who holds my life in his hands, quite literally, at times.
I like the metaphor of a trouble tree. I never thought of it in this manner before.
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Long Beach, Ms.
I see the nacelles being hauled by truck on I-10 quite often. Glad that you're helping to relieve us of our dependence on fossil fuel for energy.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,770
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From: The Great North~West!
No, I'm not courageous,,,
I just have a great zest for life!!!!
When my day comes to meet my maker, I don't want to have ANY regrets!!
I don't want to think,, Ahh, I should have done this, or I should have done that.
When my life flashes before my eyes, I want it to be full of pleasant memories and wonderful adventures and love and laughter,,, not unfulfilled wants and desires and regret. Life is such a wonderful gift!!!
Ever heard that Tim McGraw song, Live Like You Were Dying???
That's how I view each and every day,,, as if it were my last. One day it will be,,,
"Live Like You Were Dyin'"
He said I was in my early 40's,
With a lot of life before me,
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
I spent most of the next days, lookin' at the x-rays,
Talkin' 'bout the options and talkin' 'bout sweet time.
Asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end.
How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news.
Man what ya do.
And he says,
[Chorus]
I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all the sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the good book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then.
[Chorus]
Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity
To think about what you do with it,
What could you do with it, what can
I do with with it, what would I do with it.
[Chorus]
Sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'.
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
I just have a great zest for life!!!!
When my day comes to meet my maker, I don't want to have ANY regrets!!
I don't want to think,, Ahh, I should have done this, or I should have done that.
When my life flashes before my eyes, I want it to be full of pleasant memories and wonderful adventures and love and laughter,,, not unfulfilled wants and desires and regret. Life is such a wonderful gift!!!
Ever heard that Tim McGraw song, Live Like You Were Dying???
That's how I view each and every day,,, as if it were my last. One day it will be,,,
"Live Like You Were Dyin'"
He said I was in my early 40's,
With a lot of life before me,
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
I spent most of the next days, lookin' at the x-rays,
Talkin' 'bout the options and talkin' 'bout sweet time.
Asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end.
How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news.
Man what ya do.
And he says,
[Chorus]
I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all the sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the good book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then.
[Chorus]
Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity
To think about what you do with it,
What could you do with it, what can
I do with with it, what would I do with it.
[Chorus]
Sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'.
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
Government Teat-sucker
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 1
From: Virginia Beach
I've seen you work through physics problems on this site with ease. Stupid, you definitely are not. (Speaking of which, can you help me with my statistics???)
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,770
Likes: 14
From: The Great North~West!
I never took Statistics, I took Trig instead,,, Looked easier to me!!! But, I will definitely help if I can!!
Government Teat-sucker
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 1
From: Virginia Beach
Thanks, but I don't really need any help with it. it is time consuming and quite difficult, but if I sit and work at it for a while, I do finally get it. I'm taking it online, so it's very hard to ask the professor for help (email, wait for answer, etc). But I don't want to hijack the thread any further.
I like the idea of leaving your troubles at work, never thought about planting a trouble tree. Seems the negative troubles you hung on it would kill it prematurely, though. From a religious point of view, many people give their troubles over to their higher power.
I like the idea of leaving your troubles at work, never thought about planting a trouble tree. Seems the negative troubles you hung on it would kill it prematurely, though. From a religious point of view, many people give their troubles over to their higher power.