THINGS CHANGE...WE ARE LEFT TO ADJUST

I might be forced to change this area of the garden due to the fact my neighbor chose to cut down a 60' River Birch that provided shade for these shade loving plants. You can barely see the trunk of the tree in the upper right hand corner of this picture. He asked me before he did it if I was okay with him taking it down. He was afraid of it falling on his home in a storm and was also in fear of the roots creating problems for his home's foundation. I told him that it was on his property and it was his decision to make. I was aware of the problems it would create for my garden since this area was designed with the shade that tree created in mind. Even so, I believed the decision was best left in his hands. Had I convinced him, based upon my desires, and then the tree created for him the problems he feared, I would have felt responsible.

The open exposure created by the tree's absence has already produced some changes for me to get used to this winter and I haven't even had to deal yet with the drastic changes it will most certainly create in the garden. It effects many things. For one, my deck is no longer protected from the hot southern exposure and we have much less privacy in regards to the street. But hey, it is what it is. I could get all worked up about it in light of all of that, but that would change nothing but maybe my sense of peace. I've been in a process of learning to not let external things touch that. It's too precious to me. The tree is gone and the sun now invades a space it had formerly not invaded. It's just something I must now adjust to.

On the day my neighbor asked my opinion about it all I was faced with some choices. I could have voiced my concerns based upon how it would effect me but I chose not to. Instead I chose to begin to imagine the new opportunities the change would make possible. Time will tell what adjustments I have to make. It might be few or it might call for many. But either way the choice to live with my neighbor in a way that allowed him to act within his freedom to do as he saw fit feels way better than what more than likely would have happened had I attempted to convince/manipulate him to do as I wanted. This way the relationship between he and I is still on good terms. That's far more important to me than this garden.

Living and adjusting to the changing garden seems to be a better road to travel for all involved. Relational crap seems to create needed adjustments that end up being far more painful.