It is one of the basic lessons of life that other people’s action can have profound effects on us totally independent of intent and knowledge. Recent events bring this home to me with a bang.
It seems some 50 years ago the land I live on was logger and some logger unknown to me (and I to him) used a certain young fir tree as an anchor. He put a choker of some sort around the base of the tree. So it did what chokers do and choked the tree. But, that simple act reached into the future, my future, to become a stumbling block to my returning to Labrador!
The young tree took offense at being choked and reacted with a deformity of growth by growing outwardly below the choker and outwardly and upwardly above the choke but not at that point around the girth of the tree. It was a bad defect but not too bad because the then young tree continued to grow into a now old tree withstand wind and rain and the comings and going of men through the years. Well, not too bad a defect until last week, when in a creak and crash, it came down to thump “Ole Thumper”, the motor home, a fatal blow.
Once again Mister Murphy and his damnable law came knocking on my door. Because things that can happen will happen and at the worst possible time, I am once again convinced to the core there is no such thing as luck! You see, using luck to explain away events always stops short. I’m not unlucky because the tree fell on motor home anymore than I am lucky the tree didn’t fall on me! It is just what happened, caused by unknown events long ago that took this time to reveal themselves. My challenge is how will I deal with this? I chose not to waste a moment of time blaming my “luck” but rather adjust my schedule, make the best repair I can and get on the road to Labrador by next week.
What I do see in all this commotion is the opportunity to grasp yet one more lesson in awareness. I talk to myself, (I’m 64, I can do that now) …”Tommy” I says to me, “there will always be the unknown and unknowable. You are attempting to go into a very hostile environment, you best be ready old son, you best be ready”.
