FROM HERE AND THERE
The Trouble Tree
During my training sessions with workers in industry, I realized that many of them carried home their stress from long hours of strenuous work, emotional residues from job related conflicts, their frustrations and myriad other negatives built up during their work shifts. The moment home and hearth was reached, often times the pressure cooker, instead of releasing controlled steam, just kind of exploded. This was a great disappointment to the spouses and children who eagerly awaited the arrival of their husbands and fathers.
The answer to this was to sit silently for 20
minutes eyes closed doing and thinking nothing after they entered their homes.
In addition I narrated an experience to all of them during one of the training
sessions.
The carpenter I hired to help me restore a room in our house had
just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire had caused him to miss
an hour of work, his electric saw became faulty and he had to use a hand saw,
and now his ancient two-wheeler refused to start.
As I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. His face creased in frowns and unpleasantness near to anger. When we arrived he invited me for a cup of tea and to meet his family. As we walked to the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touched the tips of the branches with both hands and closed his eyes for a moment. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His dark face was wreathed in smiles; he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a loving and affectionate look. All his frowns and anger had vanished from his countenance.
Later as he walked me to my car. We passed by the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"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, 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 then I just pick them up again in the morning."
As I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. His face creased in frowns and unpleasantness near to anger. When we arrived he invited me for a cup of tea and to meet his family. As we walked to the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touched the tips of the branches with both hands and closed his eyes for a moment. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His dark face was wreathed in smiles; he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a loving and affectionate look. All his frowns and anger had vanished from his countenance.
Later as he walked me to my car. We passed by the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"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, 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 then I just pick them up again in the morning."
"Funny thing, though," he smiled, "when I come
out in the morning to pick them up, there are not nearly as many as I
remembered hanging there the night before."
Each of us I think must build a trouble tree of our own.
Have a wonderful day.
Ajay
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