Friday, December 19, 2008

Proof That I'm Growing Up

I went home at lunch to inspect my questionable trees. Aha! In the light of day and with a calm heart and mind I was able to clearly see that there was a very large portion of a tree (found out later it is a Bradford Pear) that had broken away from the part that remained standing. Because of the position of the tree, the errant branch, and the house, it is not immediately obvious that this branch is now more or less detached from the remainder of the tree and resting somewhat against the front wall of the house.

Now comes the part where I had to be a grown up (or at least pretend to be one long enough to take care of business). I have in the course of this afternoon phoned an arborist and my homeowner's insurance company. I have taken calls from representatives from both of the aforementioned parties. I have handled the situation in a most adult and responsible manner and now have a firm plan of action for ridding my property of the offending branch. Who knew I could do that?

While I know many who read this are thinking "Well, of course that's what you would do. What's the big deal?" It is, in fact, a huge deal for me. I had to set aside my phone phobia long enough to just do what had to be done (and right there was a hugely daunting task for me). I had to be willing to talk to people I don't know and trust that they would treat me with dignity and respect (another hugely daunting task for me). So bully for you if you are one who could have done all this without a second thought, but for me this was a big deal and another piece of evidence that I can live on my own and do for myself and not have to count on someone else to take care of me. It is nerve-wracking, but I can do it. Yay me!

6 comments:

Sailor said...

Yay, You, indeed, true!

Doesn't matter, it seems to me, what the phobia or obstacle is. I'll give you cheers and kudos, and a huge hug, for overcoming whatever it is that YOU have to struggle with.

We all have our own hard things, and it's great for you that you dealt with yours in a way that let you take charge and be independent. Good for you!

Val said...

Rah rah rah, sis boom bah!
You go girl - very well done!

King of New York Hacks said...

Hell yeah !! You'll be directing people in no time !! Awesome to break out of it isn't it !! Pretty soon you'll be talking like me a NYC Taxi driver , uh oh look out !! Well done and Good Luck !!!

Karin's Korner said...

I know it was a big deal for you and you got through it!! It is a huge Yay for you!! I am proud of you, you can do anything now...:)

Desmond Jones said...

We have a big ol' maple tree in the corner of our yard; it had (note the past tense) a fork about 15 feet or so off the ground. A couple years ago, it split at the fork, and about a third of the tree fell down. Fortunately, there wasn't a lot of damage - part of the neighbor's fence was the extent of it.

So, we called the arborist and the insurance company, just as you did. And the insurance company said they wouldn't pay for the preventive measure of taking down the rest of the tree. They would pay if the tree fell and we made a claim, but if we just wanted to take down the tree for the 'potential' hazard, we were on our own. Even tho waiting for the tree to fall would cost them more than taking the tree down 'pre-emptively'. . .

Fusion said...

I didn't know that about you True, but I'm glad you were able to break through and do it. I'm dealing with my parents insurance company now to get their house repaired, and it's daunting to me to talk with them!