Preparation key to moving forward

Have you ever been stumped? The meaning traditionally has to do with being stuck and unable to proceed with something. It dates back to early agriculture when a farmer hit a stump while ploughing his field and stopped dead.
I really understand the origins of this word after having fought with an 80-year-old stump in my backyard recently. Earlier in the summer I had taken the tall pine down with my chainsaw as it was rotting and had become a danger.
This regal old tree stood more than 50 feet high but something had gotten to it and large holes appeared where rot had set in.
I worked for several hours with a friend, using axes to cut the large wooden stump out of the ground. Using a chainsaw would have ruined my chain. The work was healthy and the chore a challenge. This old stump was well rooted into the earth.
At first I cut away the obvious surface roots and they were huge. It took hours just to accomplish that. Then I had to dig around the stump and deep into the ground to unearth more roots. If you can imagine a pine tree upside down in the ground but only about four feet of it growing that way in the soil you could get a picture of just how well developed root systems are in big trees.
As I worked I thought about the times my dad and I had tackled taking out stumps and I recalled a lot of hard work and even some danger. One time we decided we had hacked away at a large old stump for long enough so we hooked the truck up to it with a chain and tried to pull it out. Well all we managed was to severely bend the bumper on our four-wheel drive truck. We turned to our trusty and tough John Deere tractor and it would not even budge the stump. So I knew that it was worth it to dig deep and get all the roots before trying to pull the stump out.
As I worked I also thought about how this job relates to projects and issues in my life in general. I thought about how important it was for me to learn how to tackle big projects by doing just a little at a time. I also learned that it was necessary to make the extra effort to make sure everything was in place and perfect before a project could be launched. Anytime in my life that I have tried to do things in a rush or without putting the proper effort into it I always had problems. Things don’t move unless you have done the proper preparation in making them go forward.
Years ago I might have given up after struggling with this old stump for so long. However, I have learned enough along the way not to get easily stumped. After many chops with my trusty axe and hours of digging around the stump I slowly found success. Finally, this well rooted remnant of an ancient tree gave way and I was able to haul it out of the ground.
This was a labour of mixed emotions. I felt very happy and satisfied to remove a dangerous leaning tree and pull out a problematic stump. At the same time I felt a little sad to think of how long it took this once tall and beautiful pine tree to reach the age of 80. It was in the ground in this place long before my parents were born. My grandfathers and grandmothers would have been in their prime. Dozens of people I knew who are now passed on were alive and walking the Earth while this strong pine looked over the forest. Countless birds, squirrels, chipmunks and insects had visited the branches of the old pine over eight decades and the moon, sun and stars had lit up this pine in the middle of the wilderness.
I thanked the old tree for its shade and protection from the elements and also for the firewood it gave me. In the end her long roots did not stump me. I very carefully, respectfully and patiently removed her from that place in the ground. It was work well done.www.underthenorthernsky.com