THE TROUBLE TREE

A carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farm house has just finished a rough day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his ancient 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 so 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 for sure, troubles don't belong at home with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then  in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is," he smiled,"when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."