A client's comment about a stump made me look at my whole job differently

I was grinding a big oak stump in their backyard last Thursday, and the homeowner came out with coffee. She said, 'You know, I'm kind of sad to see it go. It was the spot my kid learned to ride a bike.' I mean, I've heard stuff like that before, but for some reason it hit me that day. I realized I'm not just removing a problem, I'm clearing a space that held a lot of memories for someone. How do you guys handle those kinds of talks with clients?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jana9d ago

Oh man, that's so real. I was cutting down a big old maple once and the guy told me he proposed under it. Makes you pause, you know? It's not just wood.

the_lee9d ago

Yeah, the "it's not just wood" thing hits hard. My buddy had to take out this huge oak that was rotting. The neighbor came over crying, said her son who passed used to build forts in it every summer. They ended up saving a big chunk of the trunk for her to make into a bench. Makes the whole job feel totally different, doesn't it?

ellis.faith9d ago

Wait, the neighbor was crying? That's heavy. @the_jana's story about the proposal tree is wild too. It's crazy how a simple job can have all that history tied to it.