Restoring an old farmhouse is no small task—especially when things go wrong. I recently hired a plumber to help with the project, and after his first day, it was clear that luck hadn’t been on his side.
A flat tire cost him an hour of work, his electric drill gave up on him, and to top it off, his old one-ton truck refused to start. By the time I drove him home, the weight of the day hung heavy in the air. He sat in silence, worn down by the endless frustrations.
When we arrived, he surprised me by inviting me inside to meet his family. As we walked up the path, something curious happened. He stopped at a small tree by the porch, gently touching its branches with both hands.
By the time he opened the door, it was as if he had left the hard day behind. His face lit up with a warm smile as he hugged his two small children and kissed his wife. The tension and exhaustion from the day were nowhere to be found.
As he walked me back to my car, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity any longer. I asked him about the tree and why he had paused there.
He smiled and said, “Oh, that’s my trouble tree. I know I can’t avoid problems on the job, but one thing’s for sure—those troubles don’t belong inside my house with my wife and kids. So, every night, I hang them on the tree and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning, I pick them up again.”
He laughed softly and added, “Funny thing is, when I come out the next day, there aren’t nearly as many troubles as I remember hanging up the night before.”
We All Need a Trouble Tree
Life isn’t always smooth sailing. Some days, everything that can go wrong does. But this plumber’s simple ritual holds a powerful lesson: we may not be able to control what happens during the day, but we can choose what we carry into our homes and hearts.
What if we all had a “trouble tree”—a place to lay down our worries before stepping into the spaces that matter most? Imagine how much lighter life could feel if we gave ourselves permission to leave the day’s burdens behind, even if just for a little while.
At the end of the day, life may not always be the party we hoped for—but while we’re here, we might as well dance.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s easier to dance when we hang our troubles on a tree.
This one is worth sharing.
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