If a tree falls in the woods…

We recently had one of the heaviest snowfalls since we moved up to Wisconsin seven years ago—a few feet over the course of several days. Although beautiful, the heavy snow on the tree limbs weighed them down, some all the way to the ground.

As I lay in bed, watching the snow pour from the sky, I heard a groaning crash. From prior experience, I recognized it as a tree falling in the woods behind our house. I immediately got up to look for freshly fallen branches or a tree trunk against the stark white of the backyard. Nothing was apparent, until I looked into the woods and noticed something missing. My favorite dead tree was no more.

The tree hadn’t been on our property, but it’s beautiful bare branches stretched like great tendrils into the sky, enhancing the panorama and doing a surprisingly nice job of blocking our view of the small subdivision beyond our yard. And the birds, especially the crows, turkey vultures, and hawks, had loved to rest there.

They say the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is today. Many of the trees on our property are over 40 feet tall, but unfortunately many have been struck with disease over the last decade. I understand that I can’t fight Mother Nature, yet it still saddens me to lose what I’ve come to consider almost as extended members of the household.

Although my husband and I have planted a few new trees over the years, it will take decades for them to grow tall enough to fill the new void in our vista.

Losing this tree reminded me of how little control we have over what happens around us. We do have a say in how we react to events or circumstances, and we can use them as motivation to change our own behavior. But so much of life involves learning to roll with the punches. Not sweating the small stuff is something I’ve battled for years. Now, seeing the hole in the woods is a daily reminder to concentrate on what I can influence and get less frustrated with things beyond my control. What’s your “hole in the woods?”