It was a bit of windy rainy day to start…but no matter…all was right in my world that morning. I left the house as usual (after taking out the trash and recycling and doing a few other odds and ends) for my Wednesday morning jaunt…off to see my chiropractor.
Getting back to the house at my usual lunchtime I unloaded my things from the car and sauntered into the kitchen with my ice-pack and newly purchased supplements. I walked by the kitchen window and found myself doing a bit of a double take. OMG…no way, I thought to myself.
A huge part of a tree had fallen months ago in our backyard, but now I realized that this was not the tree that I was looking at. This was an even bigger tree…and this time ALL of it came down. All 4000+ lbs of it had come down very close to our house and to our deck. But somehow, someway, crazily…it missed both. The only thing it took with it was part of our fence, a fence which was falling down already.
So, I had two paths in front of me. I could be upset about having to deal with a massive tree blocking access to part of the house, having a fallen tree from a neighbor’s yard, having to deal with this neighbor, and of course, any possible costs for clean up. Basically, just looking at the negative.
Or, the second path (as I see it) would be to embrace the good. The tree fell when nobody was in the yard. The massive trunk somehow laid a zig-zag path across the lawn. It missed the hammock, the deck, and our house…only taking down an already broken fence. And on top of all of that amazing good fortune, we now have at least a cord of firewood to burn this winter.
Bad things happen to each and every one of us or to the ones that we love. It’s OK to deal with these as bad and to lament in whatever hardship they bring. However, too often we let a minor inconvenience stand in as a horrible event. Instead of embracing the luck that it is only a minor inconvenience.
After seeing the rotted roots of this massive tree…it was only a matter of time before it came crashing down. It would not have needed heavy winds or a big storm to bring it down. This tree came down on a normal day with just a small amount of wind. Anyone could have been in the yard. The tree could have twisted slightly one way and severely damaged our house.
If we can learn to embrace the luck of an inconvenient event that could have been a catastrophic one, we may find that we have more resilience when we do truly face adversity.
Joy & Love,
Goddess Mandy 🙂 XO
Ms. Mandy, you have such a gift for seeing the positive in situations! I can’t say that I’d be able to see past the wreckage in my back yard to the positive, and I really admire you for setting such a lovely example. It’s no wonder everyone I know who mentions you speaks so highly of you! 🙂
Awwwww Ms.Piper…thank you for saying all of that to me. Your message makes me feel so good!! I try to look at that glass as half full for sure. It’s not always easy but I sure do try! And it really helps a lot to have a partner who feels and thinks the very same way! 🙂
Thank You Goddess for this wonderful lesson in seeing opportunity in unfortunate events. i know it is Your perpetual ability to see goodness instead of …sadness, anger, frustration…is why i am so blessed to not only call You my Goddess, but my best friend. Thank You for being my perpetual optimist.
Hi!! This feels like the same thing im going through
Trying to find the positive now. Thanks for the encouragement.
I am so glad you are safe and sound with minimal damage to your yard! But everything you share in this post is why I love you Mandy!
Can’t wait to talk, sorry it won’t be until later in the month.
Ohhhh kneel…I SO appreciate you sharing your thoughts and feelings not only about My post but about Me! 🙂 It feels really special that you see this in Me and truly appreciate this part of Me ! And I love knowing that sometimes it is helpful to you. So,I want and need to say THANK YOU! 🙂
Hey Cody! I completely understand! And talking with you last night was wonderful. You sounded like you were in a pretty good space after all that has just come to pass. Just give yourself the time and space that you need to process and “mourn”. You have people in your life to encourage and support through it…let them be there for you! They love you. 🙂
Ohhhh Princess…thank you so much for your kind caring words! Yes, the tree is still there and happily so is everything else!!! It’s so wonderful to feel so loved and appreciated. Thank you for always making me feel this way. And no need to be sorry…we will both just have to be patient and wait till the time is right. It’s always worth the wait! 🙂