writer for Long Island Newsday. It was
dated December 21, 1986.
In it, he described a man who had the
responsibility of getting the tree for
the family - by himself. No one wanted
to go with him.
When he came home after his adventure that
was a bit more like an ordeal of sorts,
he felt "triumphant," but was met with
disappointment. His wife even said,
"'That is the worst tree I have ever
seen in my life.'"
He mentioned how no one wanted to go
with him (good for him, as many would
grumble without pointing out that fact),
but decided that after a nap they
would find something else. When he
awakened, it was to a "stunning and
elegant" tree. In the end, they regarded
the "'tree as the best we ever had.'"
I share this for a couple of reasons.
As often can be the case, people will
leave something up to another but
then not appreciate their efforts. If
someone is going to do something for you,
it would be wise to appreciate what they
do, and/or be a part of the process. People
often do the best they can, but they may
have a different idea of what "success"
looks like.
In addition, it also occurs to me as
an example of how things aren't always
what they seem to be, how sometimes we
discount something be the way it "looks."
It was the same tree. The difference didn't
come from the tree, it came from the
perspective of those who were interacting
with it. It can go in more than one way.
It can be that something is better than
it appears, or that shiny object is only
superficially attractive, and how you
interact with it has everything to do
with you.
Life is showing us things all of the time.
The next time something happens that
appears less than desirable, consider
stepping back and looking at it, to see
what it may have to offer you. There may
be many things that are teaching us, but
we may need to step back to observe the
lesson.
Here's to the magnificent trees in
your life. :)
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Wise words. As always :)
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