The Trouble Tree

The Trouble Tree - author unknown

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed 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, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

He paused. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

The story of The Trouble Tree reminds me of a sermon I remember from my childhood. The pastor of a parish in a small town was frustrated with his parishioners always complaining about their problems. He didn’t know how to help them. But, one day he had an idea. He asked everyone to write their problems out on a card and tie them to a tree. After everyone did this, he invited the townspeople to walk around the tree and pick any card off the tree that they wanted to. The idea was that they could trade their problems in for somebody else’s. I remember getting excited about this as a kid. I fantasized about trading in my imperfect world for the world of my dreams. I was dumbstruck when the priest said that after everyone walked around the tree and looked at everyone else’s problems, they realized that their lives were not so bad after all. Everyone had problems. This simple act made people remember to count their blessings and to be more compassionate with their neighbors, where before, they may have been envious of them.
This was a great lesson for a young girl and perhaps the beginnings of my life as seeker. What is your earliest memory of a great lesson you learned that has helped shape your life and who you have become?

Love yourself. Be compassionate with yourself on your journey. And always remember to be grateful that you have a journey to be travelling on.

How is Progress on the Path Measured?

In one of the yoga teacher training programs I took, I had a manual that had an interesting index heading:  "Measuring the Efficacy of Practice".   I turned eagerly to the page to read what it said.

“Progress on the path of yoga is defined by an increase in happiness and contentment; your relationships improve, your feathers get ruffled less easily and you can find contentment in any moment, even if it is painful.” ( I paraphrased, it was actually quite a bit longer, but that is the gist of it.)

The goal of any authentic spiritual practice is to stop suffering and attain perfect happiness.  We are hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain.  But, most people seem to be living in a state of vague discontent.  How do we become happy?  The first step is to look around us and see how unbelievably lucky we really are.  Count your blessings.  Focus on all that you do have.

In order for this to be effective it is necessary to establish the practice of gratitude.  Once a day stop and take stock of 5 things you have to be grateful for.  You can keep a journal if you like a writing practice, or you can simply pause during the day and think of these things.

There is a well known saying:  It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratitude that makes us happy.

The next step is to go on a complaining fast.  If you don’t like something and you can change it, then do so.  If you can’t, complaining won’t help.

You may be surprised at how much of what passes for conversation is actually complaining.  Once you become aware of this habit you may notice when others are complaining.  In that case, don’t judge, simply take note and turn the mirror on yourself.  Is that what you look and sound like when you are complaining?   Does complaining help you get happier?  According to the laws of karma, complaining only brings about more of the same.

One interesting note is that there has been less complaining in class.  There are no good poses or bad poses unless we assign them such qualities.  Challenging yoga poses are the perfect opportunity to practice breathing with equanimity under pressure.

Try these three practices: Count your blessings, keep a gratitude journal and go on a complaining fast and let me know how you are making out.  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment in the space below.

Namaste,

Karin

P.S.

I wanted to share a poem I heard on my favorite podcast "On Being"  with Krista Tippet. It seemed to fit with the theme of gratitude.

“I had no idea that the gate I would step through / to finally enter this world / would be the space my brother’s body made. He was / a little taller than me: a young man / but grown, himself by then, / done at twenty-eight, having folded every sheet, / rinsed every glass he would ever rinse under the cold / and running water. / This is what you have been waiting for, he used to say to me. / And I’d say, What? / And he’d say, This — holding up my cheese and mustard sandwich. / And I’d say, What? / And he’d say, This, sort of looking around.”  - Marie Howe