Don’t Lose Sight of the Forest for the Trees
SPRING 2023
To not see the forest for the trees
Idiom: U.S. To not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it
Recently, my husband and I had to flee our home after two trees, rooted in a property just behind us on a hill, toppled over during the nonstop parade of storms last January. The size of the trees —125 feet! — and their colossal weight could have caused untold damage had the direction and force of the wind varied by even so much as a fraction. Thankfully, no one was harmed, and only a few houses in our area sustained mild to moderate damage.
While the two trees had fallen, two remaining pines still loomed, looking more and more threatening by the hour. Concerned, my husband and I consulted several arborists who confirmed our fears: Yes, it was only a matter of time before they would topple over as well; the trees had reached their age limit, their tangled roots were girdled, and they were thoroughly infested with red turpentine beetles.
What to do? While we didn’t actually own the property in which the trees were rooted, the problem of these two remaining trees belonged to us and our neighborhood. In order to root out the problem, my husband and I called upon the owners of the tree-property, and quickly learned they had no interest in shelling out the money to remedy the situation.
The trees didn’t belong to us, but the problem did.
And so the burden fell on us, the neighbors — and not the property owners — to come up with a solution. Like all journeys, it was a journey fraught with both heroes and villains.
Being a college admissions counselor, it didn’t take long for me to notice the ways in which my tree-removal odyssey resembled that of the quest of college admissions—which, like all good quests, contained its fair share of angel-heroes and devil-villains.
The heroes of my tree-story were those neighbors who came together as a team with the singular goal of removing the dangerous trees. Likewise, for a high school student/college applicant, heroes may include supportive parents, passionate teachers, and mentors who help them grow and thrive
The villains of my tree-story were the off-site property owners unwilling to pay for the uprooting. Likewise, for the students in the throes of college applications, villains might come in the form of teachers who grade harshly, design unnecessarily difficult exams, or refuse to write letters of recommendation.
But sometimes the line between heroes and villains becomes a little blurry…
In my tree-uprootal journey, I experienced a stumbling block when my hero-neighbors began to differ over strategy and money. One neighbor refused to pony up money for trees that didn’t belong to her. Others proposed a protracted process of getting the city’s arborist to “force” the owners to act, or possibly getting the media involved. I pushed for expediency and peace of mind over principle. Even though our group of “heroes” all had the same goal in mind, we were conflicted as to how to actually go about accomplishing it.
Likewise, on the college-admissions journey, the most inspired, dedicated teachers can still find themselves overwhelmed, burnt-out, and having more bad days than good. And even the most well-intended parents may lose sight of the bigger picture, becoming overly focused on academic grades and college choices to the detriment of their children’s mental health, and losing sight of the forest for the trees.
So how did I finally deal with the trees? Well, fast-forward to Valentine’s Day, when the second and final unhealthy tree was taken down. (Ahhh, the romantic sounds of chainsaws!) Spoiler alert: I paid. Yes, my bank account is emptier but my mental health and equilibrium are almost back to normal. I admit to harboring mixed feelings toward certain parties, but it helps to remember we’re all imperfect beings trying to be our best selves.
The moral of the story? Hard as it may be, when you’re in the thick of the college admissions process, it’s critical to keep the bigger picture in mind, and try your level best not to get bogged down in the details. Because while landing a good college choice is important — and it is! — it’s also important to strive for your goal in a way that doesn’t make you tear your hair out!
Or, as the saying goes: Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees!
Happy Spring,