Progress.

As a person that studied Civil Engineering in college I can safely say that I am one for progress. As population numbers climb and other conditions change in our society, it is important that folks be able to do what they need to do safely and with as little frustration as possible, because after all, increased frustration usually leads to decreases in safety.

That all being said, it makes me a little sad to see trees being uprooted and torn down in the name of progress or convenience. After all, the tree didn’t really do anything it wasn’t suppose to do; it just set down some roots and grew. The tree was just minding its own business being a tree. So I felt a little sadness today when I saw this activity going on near my preferred lunchtime parking place.

I have enjoyed these trees at lunchtime for over three years. The rustle of their leaves have calmed me down on a hectic day, the birds that sing from the tree tops have made me smile and they have provided some much needed shade in the middle of a this paved parking lot.

I don’t know why the trees are being removed. The parking lot certainly doesn’t need expansion and there’s no place for a road to go over there, so that part is a mystery. Part of me will be very curious to see what happens with this bit of construction that started today.

But a bigger part of me will miss these trees.