The Forest for the Trees
As I am writing this, the tree people are on my roof busily sawing
into many parts the extremely large tree that fell on my roof
this morning. They are only able to get rid of the small branches
today; as the trunk is so large they need to lift it off with
a bucket truck. This is a true story and a true test for the
author of Thriving In Chaos.
I was writing an email when I heard the tree fall. If what I
heard is typical, you definitely can hear a tree fall in the
forest, even if you aren't there! It was loud - like an explosion
really - and I didn't know what had happened at first.
When I walked out of the house and saw the tree on the roof,
I must say that I was in shock. I only had two trees in my yard,
but was surrounded by a veritable forest of adjacent trees. I
discovered that the tree belonged to my neighbor and very good
friend Lori. My neighbor Larry was just driving into the neighborhood
and I beseeched him to come and help me.
As I surveyed the damage he kept saying, "It's not really that
bad," words I was grateful for, but not ready to hear at the
time. In fact, I was lucky. The tree hit the ridge beam at the
apex of the roof which is the strongest part, minimizing the
damage and saving my life.
There are so many thriving tips within this experience I think
I could write the sequel to Thriving In Chaos. Instead, I will
share a few thriving observations with you, not in hopes that
a tree will fall on your house, but rather, if you encounter
a harrowing experience, you can feel confident in your response.
REACH OUT TO OTHERS: I had my neighbors Larry and Lori to comfort
me. I ultimately called lots of other folks in the neighborhood
and some family members. Misery does love company. In fact I
really needed to share this experience with others. They helped
me to find the humor in the situation.
KEEP A LEVEL HEAD IF POSSIBLE: My proudest moment of the entire
ordeal happened a bit later in the day when Lori, the owner of
the infamous tree, said to me that I made her feel better by
my reaction to the incident. I could have cried, yelled, or otherwise
carried on, but I chose to react in a calm and rational manner.
THINK BEFORE YOU ACT: I watched the entire tree being removed
from the house over the course of the two days. What impressed
me the most about that process was the level of thinking and
brainstorming that occurred prior to a chain- saw touching a
limb. The tree removal company is well established and we had
even used them in the past; they are professionals. Still, they
conferred before they acted and that impressed me.
BE GRATEFUL: Larry was right. It was not that bad in the grand
scheme of things. The roof was damaged and some cracks appeared
in the house, but I was unharmed. Having just spent Thanksgiving
with some wonderful friends, I took the opportunity to affirm
my gratitude for the outcome of this experience.
You can see
pictures of my experience. Gotta run, looks like I've got
some wood to split! Stay warm!
*******
Tracy Knofla
Featured Consultant
High Impact Training
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