Yes, I realize that the date of this post is well after the Christmas season. However, something happened this past Christmas season that has stayed in my mind up to this day: a significant shortage of Christmas trees. The shortage itself was not what captured my thoughts but the chain of events behind it. This article explains that the major reason for the shortage was the 2008 recession. "When families clutched their paychecks tightly during the economic downturn, farmers across the country planted fewer seedlings." Christmas trees take several years to grow into the decorations we love, so planting fewer seeds long ago ultimately lead to fewer trees this past Christmas season.
When I learned the reason for the shortage, I was amazed at how events from more than a decade ago could affect something as seemingly distant as 2019 Christmas trees. Yet, more than 10 years down the road, we still experienced the results of simple choices made in the past.
The story of the Christmas tree shortage is a beautiful picture of how the small choices we make now will affect the rest of our lives. We may not see the progress of our daily disciplines, just as one rarely sees a plant grow each time he tends and waters it. In the end, though, we get to look back on the summation of our habits, and if they were good, we can enjoy the things that grew from them.
I am trying to grow some "Christmas trees" in my own life as I enter into this new decade. One area that I am working on is a common goal: improving my health. For the past two weeks, I have been establishing new disciplines including exercising, making better food choices, and intermittent fasting. It hasn't exactly been easy to keep those habits; plenty of times I've really wanted a midnight snack or a jumbo pile of french fries. To press beyond the temptation, I remind myself that making the right choice while it's hard will help the future right choice to be easier. Today, for the first time, I felt a noticeable improvement. When I walked up flights of stairs, I felt a physical energy and strength that I hadn't felt even yesterday. Looking in the mirror, I could also begin to see myself becoming healthier.
What disciplines are you seeking to cultivate in your life? Are you tempted to trade the tedious efforts for the tremendous ones? Remember as you make the tough daily choices that even Christmas trees need time to prepare for celebration.
Image credit: Annie Spratt from Pixabay (image modified)