Trees in parking lots

I was watching a Hallmark movie and a line caught my attention and interest: “You look as confused as a pine tree in a parking lot.” A couple of memories come to mind, each a contradiction to nature and progress.

Trees are tied to our oxygen, shade, leisure and in number of other uses from construction to crafts.  Land is used up in the name of progress at the expense of some nature, particularly trees.  Some developers replace the trees lost in the process with other trees carefully grown by commercial growers.  If what was destroyed was carefully reused perhaps thoughts and opinions would be different.

On the way to work one morning I was passing a commercial concern of concrete, equipment, heavy trucks and a railroad line down the side of the property and in the middle of the “yard” was a tree with a deer standing in its shade.  The tree and deer was a beautiful sight, both of which were a contradiction to their immediate area.  Each had little chance of survival in those surroundings.  However, the business provided jobs and together they fueled economic growth.

My youngest sister worked for The Federal Reserve Bank when it was located downtown.  In the parking area was a huge, beautiful, majestic tree that had been there a 100 or so years plus a few benches and possibly a table. The employees enjoyed their lunch and shared time together many times over the years until additional parking space was needed.  There were many groups of people who tried to have that tree saved but ultimately the tree was sacrificed in the name of progress. Now even that older, beautiful historic building is no longer used but a huge, quite grand facility has been erected a few miles away which of course required even more land area.  

Where is the balance or the end?