Quotes of the Week from Me:

“What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned?”

“You are undefeated against your bad days. Remember your perfect track record. You’ll get through the next one too.”

“Perfection is unattainable, but its pursuit inevitable. Tomorrow’s perfection should never ruin the joy of today.”

Quotes of the Week from Others:

“What is done is done. But in the future, do better.” – Renee Ahdieh

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.” – Joan Didion

Quick Optimism:

You are much stronger than you think.

One of the first mistakes a lot of people make is underestimating themselves. You are much stronger, smarter, and more capable than you think.

Questions of the Week:

Have you ever cut down a tree?

First comes the fun, then the pleasant visual, but the real work begins at the end.

The two giant oak trees in my front yard had been staring at me for months. Dangerously beautiful. Among some of the oldest in our town, possibly the area, it takes at least two people to wrap our arms around their trunks. A few feet from the ground, their huge lower branches had grown in all different directions. Some toward our house, others toward the power lines in our neighborhood; the most concerning were the branches leaning towards two neighboring houses.

In an article I found about one of Vermont’s oldest oak trees, it estimated that it was around 280-300 years old. And based on the picture, that tree was smaller than both of the trees in our yard.

We wanted to continue the preservation of such incredible displays of nature and this past weekend, that meant giving them a haircut.

How do you say thank you?

The giant tree trimming was only possible because of my father-in-law and his new tree truck. All I can say is the thing is badass. It is a Ford F-750. I didn’t even know Ford made trucks that big. On top of the truck, a 60-foot hydraulic arm with a bucket allows you to reach just about any part of a tree.

Within 30 minutes, all of the branches we planned to cut down had hit the ground. Some of them were twigs, others were 12-15 inches in diameter. Thick and heavy.

The trees looked amazing. They were now safer, symmetrical, and still healthy as ever.

The final step took 2.5 hours. Thankfully, behind the new tree truck was a wood chipper. Also pretty badass. It could swallow chunks of wood up to 15 inches in diameter on one end and blast them into wood chips out the other.

Trimming and cutting trees are a necessary part of maintaining their beauty and health, and the safety of those who enjoy both. Improvements are made quickly, but project cleanup is made slowly. Some things go without saying, but the least we could do was say thank you for such an amazing project made possible by family.

What else can you improve quickly? What is worth the extra work it takes to maintain the improvements? Who should you thank for making it possible?