Snow in October…and a shift in the balance

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My backyard garden on New York's upper East Side

My backyard had no idea of the destruction that was to come.

This was the way my garden looked last summer, and the summer before that. The big wild black cherry tree that sat in my backyard for as long as I’ve lived there reached out its branches to shade my Rhododendron and lent a branch to hold up a lantern or two as well. But last Saturday, the fine balance of tree and yard came to an end when during the freak October snowstorm, the mighty tree fell, right before my eyes. I was sitting at my window talking to a friend, commenting on how I hoped the snow on the tree still laden with leaves, wouldn’t break any branches, when I saw the tree fall over. It seemed to fall in slow motion and barely made a sound. I couldn’t believe it! It totally up-routed itself, taking along my deck and fence and laying to rest across three other building yards. I am thankful that no one was outside when it fell and it did not fall onto any buildings.

Fallen Tree

My fallen tree

However, I am saddened by the loss of this great tree. The tree man who came to assess the damage told me that probably no one planted it, that most likely it just grew on its own. It stood for well over the 30 years that I had come to know it. It was witness to many a garden party and evening gathering.

So what did I learn from this experience? Nothing is permanent. There is a fine balance in life which sometimes tips one way or the other. We can’t always be prepared for the tip, but we can learn to re-set the balance.  My deck will be rebuilt (hopefully insurance will help with that), and it will probably feel a bit more spacious and be sunnier. I may even be able to plant those flowers that never would grow before because they needed more sun.  But still, I will miss that great old tree.

A great old tree – it served me well!

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This entry was posted in Life, Life is Balance and tagged , , , , by Sheryl Checkman. Bookmark the permalink.

About Sheryl Checkman

Sheryl Checkman is an award-winning designer with more than 25 years' experience in applying innovative yet pragmatic solutions to the full range of communications and design challenges. Before opening Checkman Design, Sheryl was Vice President & Manager, Design Services, for the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller from 1981-1992. Prior to that she was an Art Director at the The Barton Gillet Company, a marketing communications firm. Sheryl graduated from Cornell University and attended a Masters program in Communications Design at Pratt Institute as well as a three-month design program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She graduated from the High School of Music & Art in New York City. Sheryl is an avid skier and scuba diver. She swims, plays tennis, practices yoga and enjoys taking pictures, both above and below the water. She adds her creative signature to her photographs by creating Digital Fine Art which she currently exhibits in her online gallery. She recently launched a line of inspirational sports-themed T-shirts under the name Life is Balance®. In addition to her design work, Sheryl also creates custom photomontages for a variety of corporate and consumer clients.

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