A Tree On 1940 And North Temple...

 I arrive at work early—for some, really early, for others, not early at all. I get to my building so early that it’s not accessible so I have to wait in my car a few minutes before I can go in. For me, it’s not a big deal. I’d rather be a few minutes early than a few minutes late.

On Monday I drove to work and since I backed in (I did a Priesthood Park…), I found myself looking at a tree, a tree on the corner of 1940 West and North Temple.

And I thought about how amazing it was for that tree to be there.

I thought about how long it’s been on that corner. I don’t know trees--don't even know what kind of tree it is, but it looks to be at least forty or fifty years old. That means, if it had eyes, it would have seen some incredible things. The road has changed over the years. The buildings have definitely changed. Millions of cars have driven by, or cars have driven by it millions of times. People have (and do…) rest in the shade it provides, and hopefully, others have appreciated its beauty.

There’s a lawn just south of our building, as you can see in the picture. I don’t know who owns it, but I would imagine it’s owned by the State of Utah. There are many government buildings around where I work. It’s not too far-fetched to think that one day the lawn might go and be replaced by another building. The corner is literally across the street from a light rail stop, so easy access. It’s not in the best part of town for a business relying on foot traffic, but it could be used for another government building. I don’t know, but as we tend to do, we’ll probably build something on that corner and if so, I think the tree would most likely not survive.

And that would make me sad. Of course, if/when that happens, I might not be around to even notice. But maybe someone would remember that at one time, on the corner of 1940 West and North Temple, there once stood a fine tree.