Beech Tree News Network

Author and producer, Devon Franklin said, “The truth is, you and I are in control of only two things: how we prepare for what might happen, and how we respond to what just happened.  The moment when things actually happen belongs to God.”

I lived most of my childhood feeling like I wasn’t in control of anything.  When I became an adult and left home, I felt responsible for everything, even things beyond my control.  I know that makes little sense, but so goes the reasoning inability of the immature, of which I was and, in some areas of my life, continue to be.

Last night, I stepped out onto the back steps for some fresh air.  I noticed Garey’s truck was parked under the maple tree.  According to the forecast, we could expect icy weather to move in anytime.  

“I need to tell Garey to move his truck,” I thought.

I had a house full of company, so I sat down on the steps just to have a few minutes of quiet.  I failed to enjoy the quiet however, because my eyes kept moving back to Garey’s truck and the overhanging branches of the maple tree.  Finally, I gave in to the foreboding feeling, climbed into the truck and moved it from under the tree.

My thought process went something like this: I will tell Garey to move his truck.  Garey will say he will move his truck as soon as it’s halftime—he was watching a football game at the time.  Garey will forget to move his truck.  I will forget that Garey forgot to move his truck.  The ice that was previously forecasted will fall and stick to the maple tree branches, weighing them down and causing them to crash through the windshield on Garey’s truck.

You know, I could catalogue that particular thought process and subsequent action under the “how we prepare for what might happen” column, but if I am completely honest with myself, I know it really belongs to the “fear of what might happen plus fear of being blamed for what does happen” category.  Garey would never blame me, but I would blame me, because I noticed a potential hazard and did nothing to prevent it.

The Catch 22 in my life is that I notice so much of what I perceive can go wrong.  I see an important receipt lying on the dash as it starts to flutter when Garey rolls down his window.  I grab it and put it in the glove box.  I catch the glint of the sun bouncing off a metal fence post hidden in the grass as I ride on the fender of the tractor Garey is driving, a finishing mower in tow behind us.  I notice barbed wire buried in the back side of a tree Garey is getting ready to put the blade of a chainsaw against. I probably should have pursued a career in the risk assessment field, an opportunity lost.

The poet Hafiz said, “Fear is the cheapest room in the house.  I’d like to see you living in better conditions.”  Yeah, him and me too.  I figure I’ll get there someday, if not in this life, in the one to come.

I’m not really a “pie in the sky” person, but sometimes, I want better accommodations.