The Trouble Tree

A man hired a carpenter to help him restore an old farmhouse. The first day on the job was a rough one for the carpenter: A flat tire caused him to miss an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start.

His employer offered to drive the carpenter home. The carpenter sat in stony silence for the entire ride, then gruffly invited his employer in to meet his family. As they walked toward the front door, the carpenter paused briefly by a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. As the door opened he underwent an amazing transformation: his tanned faced wreathed in smiles; he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterwards he walked his employer to the car. As they passed by the tree the carpenter had touched, the employer asked him about what he’d seen him do earlier.

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” the carpenter replied. “I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one things for sure, they don’t belong in the house with my wife and children. So, I just hang them on the tree when I come home in the evening and I pick them up again in the morning.

Using the idea that I have 10 bits of energy to spend daily has caused me to think about where, what and who I spend my energy on and am I saving some energy for Marlene & Jared.

So if you are coming home to your family and not showing up as the person you want to be after a hard days work… sucking your spouse and kids dry...with a short fuse and a bunch of headaches, try saving a few bits of energy for your home time. This may mean saying “no” to a few other things on your schedule… but in the end … its well worth it!