Skills Wisdom and PRIDE

07.17.10

Skills, Wisdom, and PRIDE

Okay, I guess wisdom is knowing what you don’t know, and asking advice of those who do. I concur with this thought, especially right now.

I may not know all that I’m good at, but I do know (situation by situation) all that I am NOT good at. ☺ Here’s the scoop:

My wife and I (God bless her) decided today would be a good day for yard work. Being the astute lawn maintenance professional that I am, I decided to delegate the weed pulling to her and the tree/bush/shrub trimming to me. (after all, these tools are sharp)

I cheerfully threw on my iPod, started listening to some convicting LifeChurch.tv sermons via podcast, and began my duty.

After a few aesthetic trim cuts, I thought to myself boy, this could take FOREVER to trim the tiny tree branches. I’ll bet if I start trimming inward, toward the core of the trunk, that I could save a ton of time and mess. So, with that impulsive logic in mind, I grabbed not the trimmers, but the LOPPERS and began to go to work.

I trimmed some baseball bat-sized branches all the way to the trunk of the tree… some as big as 3” in diameter.

Tree sized offshoots began falling, as if Paul Bunion were at work.

As the branches began piling up, I became prouder and prouder. I had created a mound of accomplishments, that would prove especially convenient when mowing the lawn around these trees, or for the dogs to run through. In the moment, I was HAPPY.

Take a look at my handiwork:

As I stepped away to view my hard work from afar, I quickly realized I had become that “parent who decided to give their kid a haircut for the first time.” Lop-sided and awkward. How many “pant-less” evergreen trees have you seen?

My trees are so embarrassed. Equally, I am too.

The best part was when my neighbor, Tim the Yard/Tool/Project-man Taylor casually made yard observations to me… inferring that I really jacked my trees up. He’s the neighbor that cuts his grass with Binford 3000 lawn scissors, and then vacuums the clippings up, daily. Seriously, there isn’t a blade of grass out of place on this guy’s property. I am truly impressed.

Oh well. I never claimed to be the best yard-smith. I only claimed to be willing. At least I now know that running a lawn maintenance business is NOT a calling form my creator. ☺

PS: my wife did end up trimming many shrubs, that all look GREAT!