Open Spaces

I love “Before and After” photos. Especially in January, the month people often think of as a time of new beginnings. Photos of a messy or crowded area cleared to become welcoming and open inspire me to see my own space with honest eyes. We can grow so accustomed to clutter, we don’t see it but feel its oppression in vague discontent.

My New Year’s Resolution to de-clutter started last fall in my backyard. Giant trees with gnarly leads and leans crowded the yard and blocked my view of Mt. Hood. These trees (a giant birch and a 3 headed Cerberus cypress) required skill to fall. These trees needed more cutting than my little battery powered DeWalt saw could handle. It took two days of careful cuts and climbs, two truckloads of chips, and two loads of wood to split and stack, but we made it happen because I needed open sky.

Maybe falling those trees to make way for a view was metaphorical. I need to be able to look out the window at a big sky and the mountain in front of me or the challenges ahead. I need room to create, make mistakes, and imagine good things in the future.

Do you have Before & After photos? Aren’t they satisfying? Feel free to share.

BEFORE

Will it hit the house?!

AFTER

Eventually I’ll remove all the cypress and big birches too close to the house. Next time around, I’ll plant bushes, not trees. Anybody need free wood?

Wide Open Spaces (by the Dixie Chicks)