The World's Tallest Tree
They had to cut down the world’s tallest tree. There was a tree at the end of my road that was a saving grace during the first few weeks of the lockdown in March. My little guy and I would visit the tree every day just to see if it had gotten any taller, or see how fast we could get there, or see if there were any woodpeckers…you get the picture. The tree was a focal point in our adventures and was sometimes the only thing that would get him out the door and into the gross, drizzly days of March. We both loved that tree, he for how tall it was (it was about three stories high) and me for what it represented. Last week on the way to school we noticed the tree trucks and chainsaws gathering on the lawn. “Oh no!” I cried as we drove by, to which my son responded, “Perhaps it’s sick and isn’t safe anymore” (coaching lesson number 57,000 – never assume how someone will respond). I thought he would be upset and the whole trip would be ruined but his wisdom surprised me, and I learned from his sense of solace.
After dropping him off, I had to drive by the tree again and much of it was gone. It was astonishing to me how quickly we could cut down something that had taken 50 years to grow (insert heavy-handed metaphor here). Instinctively, I stopped the car – I walked over wondering if the crew would let me have me some scraps so I could make my son a wreath for his room. I explained how the tree was my son’s favorite and asked if I could take a few branches. The lovely fellow then offered to gather some big branches and cut me off a few ‘cookies’ (cross-cut pieces of the trunk) so my son could have a memento from the world’s tallest tree. I have to admit I was stunned – it was so far above what I was hoping for and such a profound act of kindness that I just stared at him for a moment.
He asked me to come back in half an hour and he would have everything ready for me. In that half an hour I reflected on his kindness and how something so small to him meant the world to me and my son. I also reflected on the power of asking. Had I not asked for something I wanted, I would not have received anything, and I would not have seen such a profound act of kindness. It occurred to me that when we ask, we give the other person to the opportunity to say yes – the opportunity to do something for another person. I liked to be asked for help, so how is not asking serving me? How is not asking for something you want serving you?
As I carried home “cookies” and branches I also carried home a promise to ask more, to muster the courage to ask for what I want – a good lesson for someone building a business…
What will happen for you if you ask for what you want?