The Emotional Highway

A man is not determined by how he acts in times of comfort and convenience; but rather by how he acts in times of struggle and controversy.-Martin Luther King Jr.     
      Tree planting is an emotional highway. The valleys run very low. When you
enter those valleys it takes every ounce of your energy just to rise up and
continue to do your repetitive, mundane job. You can find yourself miles
back in a clear cut, low on water and carbs. That's when your brain may
begin to wonder. You sometimes hear and see things which do not exist. When
it rains hour by hour, you sometimes talk wildly at yourself just to
distract from your feelings and being soaked.
       In the run of the day many feelings arise in this job. You get in the trucks
and storm out together to the nearest planting site with positive energy.
When you get there sometimes you are greeted with reflective lectures on how
bad your job had been the day before (a subtle reminder of things to come
for the next 9 hours). You look up at the sky which breaks into rain and
there goes positivity. You know that you will have to struggle against
yourself and the elements of the cut for the next 9-10 hours before freedom
comes to pick you up. Then comes the isolation.
      Many of us love working alone and in secluded atmospheres, including myself.
However, there is something strikingly different about the seclusion of tree
planting. Maybe it is the fact that your are wearing an extra 80lbs on a
fatigued body or that you must get as many trees into the ground before the
bugs hit. Maybe it is just the thought that if anything were to happen to
you, it would be awhile before you were found, rescued and assured safety.
      On the positive side, when the end of the day comes you know you have done
literally all you could do for that day to fill your pockets with cash. You
know that money is yours and you now have a greater appreciation for ANY
other job which lies in your future. That feeling of accomplishment reminds
you that you are still alive, despite being sore. It allows you to muster up
enough energy to squeeze in another day of planting.
      The mountains are more like knolls and the valleys are more like the grand
canyon but at least I can say I have been there. I have been pushed, pulled,
beaten down by the elements and tested to persevere. Now when I think I am
having a bad day, I will reflect upon those tree planting days and be
thankful that I am in a valley, not falling off the grand canyon.

Ryan Fahey
B.A Human Kinetics
CPTN Canada
Canfitpro FIS, PTS
NCCP