I was working on my newsletter while watching TV (Yes, I like to multi-task). Specifically I was watching a comedy about the end of the world (interesting). In the movie an asteroid was heading to earth and all civilization would end in 3 weeks. It got me thinking, “what would I be doing if I knew the entire planet was being destroyed in 3 weeks”? Now I know a lot of you are thinking, “WOW…did she wake up on the wrong side of the negativity bed”! Actually I don’t mean it from a negative place. I just think sometimes we get so caught up in our everyday lives that a little reality check can do wonders!
So what would you do if you knew the world was ending in 3 weeks? I think we all have people we would want to spend our remaining time with, places we would want to visit and maybe we would even treat ourselves to some extra luxuries (as the world will be gone before the credit card bill comes in…LOL). Then I started thinking a little deeper about it all. I started thinking about all the things I would no longer be worrying about, all the things I wouldn’t let bother me and all the things that just wouldn’t matter anymore! It is amazing how that works, isn’t it? Things seem so important one day and the next day they just don’t even make the worry list the next. Worrying just seems so ridiculous when the world is ending in three weeks…doesn’t it?
Years ago I came across this poem/story. I decided to hunt it down for this blog as it has always stuck with me. I hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me. Enjoy!
The Worry Tree
The Carpenter I hired to help me restore and 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 now his ancient 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 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 for sure, troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”
“Funny thing is”, he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick ’em up, there ain’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”
Author unknown