Tree Climbers Perfect Day

I consider myself to be a very fortunate man. As is the case with most truly fortunate people, I am aware of my good fortune because I have not always been so. It took plenty of wrong turns and stumbles to get to where I am, but having seen the inauspicious alternatives to my present condition along the way, I am able to see my life for the blessing that it is. In fact, on some days I am even inspired to write about the things that I get paid to do. Last Thursday was one such day.

I started like most other days with a cup of coffee and a drive to the yard where I would hand out work orders to the crews and accompany one of them to their jobsite to supervise and assist. The crews perform all kinds of tree care and tree removal services, and I usually decide which project to join based on the difficulty of the different tickets. Today�s tasks all seemed to be quite manageable without my help, so I decided to take one for myself to cut out some time and travel for one of the crews. It was a pruning job on Elmwood Drive in Alexandria, VA. So I took a truck and my climbing gear went there by myself.

When I got there I was immediately impressed by the tree. A Red Maple, it stood in the center of a small lawn in front of the house and spread evenly and gracefully over the street, driveway, and partly over the house. It had nice angles for the most part, giving it an open inner canopy. With no leaves on the tree it was easy to see all branches and work up a plan from the ground (one of the many reasons that winter is the best season for pruning).

I took my time placing my climbing line on the tallest central leader in the tree. With nobody watching it always seems easier to set the line. With my saddle on and no gizmos or chainsaws to weigh me down, I ascended into the canopy with ease. Halfway up I paused where I would position to make my first cut, a secondary drooping limb that would be removed for clearance of utility lines to the house. It was here that I became aware of what a beautiful day this was. Unseasonably warm for mid January, the air had that crisp, sterile taste that is only there in winter when there are no pollens, spores, barbeques, or sweat in the air. With each move throughout the canopy, I would pause again to absorb the beauty of the day, the serenity of the moment, and the blessing that allows me to do something so inspiring for a living.

Climbing trees may not be for everyone, but for me it is the perfect way to spend a day. Now that I get to do it I realize how lucky I am to have a job that I appreciate so much. I did not always feel this way about work. It used to be downright difficult to get up and go to work at times. But, since I can clearly remember the times when work was a bother, I now appreciate fully that it is a joy.

I hope that you can find the joy and fulfillment that I have from work. If you do not have it now the good news is this: when you find it you will appreciate it more because of the time that you spent without it.