Fork in the Road

EcoGriff

Vol. 11

On every journey you face a fork in the road and must decide which way to go. I faced this fork one week ago today. My neighbor has been having some issues with a tree in our back yard. The tree not only drops leaves, but drops seeds by the million. In frustration he left a note on our door asking if we would consider removing the tree.

The tree is a healthy tree. Loves to frolic around the yard with his tree friends. He is a fun loving tree. A real pleasure to have around. Granted, at times he could be a bit shady, but we as a family would overlook this shortcoming. Birds of all kinds just love him. He provides a safe space where they could hang out, procreate and drop huge turds on unsuspecting folks. Oh, how we laugh.

Kelly and I had to think long and hard about this. Can a family trying to be eco-sensitive cut down a healthy tree? The quick answer to that question is yes. Is it that we have not come far enough on our eco journey? No. What it came down to for us was a relationship. We decided that having a good relationship with our neighbor was more important than the tree. Yes, it is sad to say goodbye to the tree, but we got a great deal to remove it, our neighbor kicked in more than half of the cost and now we will have less bird poo for Nate to stick his fingers in.

We still continue to stay on a plant-based diet at home. We have introduced some fish while out to dinner. I actually had chicken for the first time in over two months on Saturday. It did not make the meal better and my stomach did not appreciate the addition without a warning. I just feel better without all the meat!

This post is dedicated to my wife who is my best friend and the most amazing mother on the planet! I love you! Happy Mother’s Day!

ECOcation:

Offset your carbon footprint: http://www.carbonfund.org/

Best,
EcoGriff