Ethan’s Tree

What began as a sharing of a warm, holiday story evolved into something much more for me a few weeks ago.  During a break in our work session, I stuck up a conversation with one of the talented leaders I was working with about the upcoming holidays.  He relayed a story about how he and his 9 year old son rode out into a Christmas tree farm in New England in search of the perfect Christmas tree.  There were hundreds of trees to choose from… rows and majestic rows of perfect trees.  Son Ethan was drawn to a tree in an open space where mostly stumps of Blue Spruce protruded from the ground.  All of the beauties were cut and gone.  One lonely, scraggly misshapen tree remained.  Ethan told his dad “this is our tree.”  His dad pointed out all of the tree’s shortcomings and coaxed Ethan to return to the rows of the majestics.  A dozen more minutes of roaming ensued.  Still, Ethan could not be swayed.  “This is the one… this is our tree, Dad.”    And so it was.

Soon the tree was welcomed into their home, watered and beautifully decorated.  It stood in the family room in its pure glory… with gaps nature created, the imperfect sprigs of green-blue poking into skewed directions… the raw, authentic tree that it was.  It was cherished.  It was amazing.  It was “the one.”

You see, Ethan has a unique gift.  He sees the world through different eyes.  While his gift may frustrate him at times it also affords him opportunities to see what is possible, what has incredible potential, what possesses inherent beauty, what could be.  Ethan is rich.

How about you?  What tree are you looking past as you weave through the “perfect” rows in your organization?  What talent are you missing in a team member?  Yourself?  What do you discount as imperfect?  What is lost when you don’t take the time to discover the raw, simple gifts around you?

There is a tree waiting for you… out there… in the cubicle field, on the shop floor, behind the retail counter of your store.  See that tree through Ethan eyes.  Richness awaits you.