After a long, hard day at work, it’s sometimes difficult to disconnect from the day’s stresses before you arrive home to your family, which is looking forward to “happy” you and not the bundle of stress you are at the moment. So, how do we switch modes and leave the day behind so we can enjoy the evening? I recently stumbled upon the following story which might help you make the switch to the “happy” you.
The Trouble Tree – Author unknown
A carpenter who was hired to help a man restore an old farmhouse had just finished his first day on the job, and everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. First of all, on his way to work he had a flat tire that cost him an hour’s worth of pay, then his electric saw broke, and after work his old pickup truck refused to start. His new boss volunteered to give him a lift home and the whole way to his house the carpenter sat in stone silence as he stared out his window. Yet on arriving, he invited his boss in for a few minutes to meet his family. As they walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When he opened the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was one big smile as he hugged his two small children and kissed his wife. Afterwards, the man walked his boss to his car to say thank you. Now on their way out of the house, the boss’ curiosity got the best of him so he had to ask the man about the tree on the front porch. He said, I noticed when you came up on the porch before going into your house you stopped and touched the tree, why? “Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” he replied. “I know I can’t stop from having troubles out on the job, but one thing’s for sure – my 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.” “Funny thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick ‘em up, they aren’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”
What a great idea! We should all come up with our own “Trouble Tree” to drop our problems off at night before we enter our homes. Whether you hang your stress on a tree, put it in a box on the porch, or simply take deep breathes and count to ten, remember that the stress you feel can detrimentally affect your health and your relationships. Besides, your troubles may appear smaller and fewer after a relaxing evening and a good night’s rest. Find your trouble tree and take full advantage of it.
Jeffrey Bellomo
