A Tree Falls in Mahopac

Stuff happens, right?

I was sitting at home, with the TV on. A fairly forgettable football was on (seems to be the norm for what we get in the New York market).

I was working on catching up with some personal business. In short, I'm trying to get paid.

Paid for things I've worked hard on.

Then I heard a crash. The curtain to my left was open so that I could let some natural light in.

I looked out.

A tree had fallen from the empty parcel across the street.

On my car.

I quickly hustled outside. I could see that it didn't look completely bad. The question was: was it bad at all?

Answer: Well, no. Not really. But, sort of.

There are a few marks on the roof and the tree couldn't be moved. The car appeared trapped.

Sean came out and joined me. Maybe I could move the car but I risk scratching it if I did. The tree was just heavy enough that I could lift it, but it would take someone to drive it out.

I went about cutting the shorter branches. Sean picked the scraps up and threw them into the lot. But there were two branches that needed to be addressed and couldn't be discarded without a saw.

For the record, I don't have a chainsaw. That would be too easy, right?

So I grabbed one of our ridiculously old saws and started cutting the smaller of the two branches. I broke it off after a few minutes, but there was still the bigger one to contend with.

I looked at Sean. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of driving my car.

"OK," I offered. "Do you think you can hold the branch while I drive the car out?"

He tried to hold it aloft.

"I'll drive," he said.

Certain moments bring certain abilities to life. Sean has never driven with me present. He's certainly never driven my car.

I started the car up.

"Once I get the tree off the car, step on the brake, put the car in drive, and go," I said. "Just get the car out from under the tree. Don't gun the gas."

I realize it wasn't landing a plane or surgery. But, he did fine and I was really proud.

He proceeded to go into the driveway. Maybe I should have filmed it (because did it really happen otherwise?) but I elected to keep the moment as is.

After that, I set about sawing the larger branch to get it off the road. I realize I didn't have to do it. I felt like I should do it.

I began to give up after a few minutes.

"Go on inside," I said to Sean. "Thanks. You did great."

Eventually, I grabbed a hacksaw and cut the branch. At least the road was now clear.

Look, shite happens. Yes, this is annoying and an inconvenience of sorts and I certainly could take a "when it rains, it pours" approach.

And, sure, I had a few minutes of bouncing between emotions.

But, as I sit here, the prevailing emotion remains the right one. I'm bummed and sort of annoyed at the bad luck. But I'm also relieved.

The car is driveable. I'll be able to get out and carry on with life tomorrow. I have a busy day, including the Greenwich football banquet tomorrow night.

Most importantly, nobody was hurt.

So, it's a simple story in the end.

And no big deal.

Once again, we live to see another day.