Daily stresses can pull us out of relationship with our family in an instant. Before we know it we’re snapping at the kids, being short with our partners and bringing a black cloud into our home.
Read this story as a reminder to leave your work problems at the door…or the “Trouble Tree”.
Trouble Tree
Author Unknown
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job, a flat tire made him lose an hour of work & his electric drill quit, his ancient one ton truck refused to start. As I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.
On arriving he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. Upon opening the door he had undergone an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do at the little tree.
“Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” he replied. “I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing’s for sure, those troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”
“Funny thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”
Challenge: Incorporate a ritual every day that will help you transition from work to home in a loving, relational way (i.e., sit in the car for 2 minutes before entering your home to get centered; say a quiet meditation; enter the house with a kind word, gesture or hug).
Commit to not bring your negative energy from work into your home. Note what you notice.