Robinson’s Problem Tree

Dear lovely people,

“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection” says Thomas Paine

It’s a fact that trouble will never stop coming your way. Even if you don’t look for trouble, it will come knocking at your door and sometimes in a chain this might be what pushed somebody to say “it never rains but it pours.” The question then is what do you do when the problems come and keep coming? Do you give up or fight back?

Martin Luther King, Jr insists that “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope…” and I strongly agree with him. No matter how big the problems that come your way are, they are finite and thus will come to pass.

Phillip Sweet calls on anybody who has problems to “Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. Work hard, and never give up on your dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true but you. These are not cliches but real tools you need no matter what you do in life to stay focused on your path.”

Robinson the popular plumber had a spectacular way of dealing with his problems. A young entrepreneurial lady hired Robinson at one time to help her restore an old farmhouse, and he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit, and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While she drove Robinson home that evening, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited her in to meet his family. As they 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 back to the car. They passed the tree, and her curiosity got the better of her. She asked Robinson about what she 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's for sure; those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So, I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning, I pick them up again.” Funny thing is, Robinson 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."

Confucius says “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Because as Bernard Williams adds “There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.”