Tinseled Trouble

I was driving down the highway this morning, minding my own business, when I came up behind a semi hauling a load of Christmas trees. The smell of pine hit my nose before I even saw it, like somebody opened a candle store in the middle of December.

It was a nice enough moment until I noticed one tree near the back bouncing around. No straps, no ropes, just sitting there, wiggling in the wind and flirting with disaster.

For a split second, my imagination took over. I pictured it breaking free and cartwheeling through the air, crashing across lanes like a green, tinsel-covered missile.

“Final Destination: Holiday Edition,” I muttered, gripping the wheel a little tighter. I could almost hear the announcer, “He survived Thanksgiving traffic, but can he survive Christmas delivery?”

That tree had more moves than a rodeo bull, and I slowed down just enough to give it space. That’s when it hit me, life’s full of loose Christmas trees, bouncing around waiting to fall.

Some folks strap down their troubles all tidy, while others throw everything in the back and hope it doesn’t fly off when they hit a bump. I’ve been both.

There were years I had everything tied down tight, plans, bills, relationships, the whole load secure. Then there were times I barely managed to hang on, watching worries and regrets tumble off behind me, cluttering the shoulder of life’s highway. You live long enough, you learn: it’s not always about keeping everything in place, it’s about not panicking when something breaks loose.

That tree got me thinking about all the things we try to control that won’t stay put. Kids grow up, friends drift off, health takes a wrong turn, and suddenly your trailer’s wobbling in the wind. You can spend all your time tightening straps and still lose a few along the way.

When I finally passed that truck, I gave the driver a friendly honk and a wave. He looked half-asleep and waved back like it was just another day hauling pine.

Maybe he didn’t even know that one of his trees was trying to make a break for it. And perhaps that’s the trick we’re all carrying loads we don’t realize are one bump away from chaos.

By the time I got home, I was laughing about it. Life’s got a sense of humor, if you let it.

One day you’re dodging runaway Christmas trees, the next you’re untangling lights that somehow tied themselves in knots. Either way, you learn to slow down, stay alert, and keep your heart calm even when the road ahead looks like a mess of flying pine needles.

So if life ever feels like “Final Destination: Holiday Edition,” just remember, sometimes all you can do is steer steady, keep your eyes open, and hope your tree stays put.