Happiness and the Power of Perspective

Lessons From an Ugly Tree

By Sandra Dee Robinson

I have been at odds with a crooked palm tree for a long time.

Every time I would enter my bedroom, my eyes would inevitably focus on this plant and I would sigh in irritation. For whatever reason this palm has grown sideways, twisted, and then just slightly upward. It defies the rule of a straight and majestic palm. It was not pretty to me. Since I can’t discard a living thing, I placed it in the master bedroom because it was less likely to be seen by guests. That decision prompted the lesson because I inadvertently positioned it in my eye line every day.

In truth, I saw it as a representation of how off-course parts of my life were. I had new business ventures and my learning curve resembled the path of an arcade pinball. Some days I would be right on track, then an unforeseen challenge would knock me to the side and I’d want to start all over. The tree mocked me. I scowled at it. I wished it straight. Then I’d wish it dead. I imagined how pretty that area of the room would be with a lovely “perfect” tree in its place. It taunted me daily.

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