by Katherine Barrington

Created on: January 19, 2009

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Whether or not the falling tree makes a sound is not the point. The more important detail to notice is that in spite of the fact that no one is around, the tree still falls. It doesn't care if there is a lumber jack around to yell "Timber!" or a modern day hippie to create a metaphor about what the falling of the tree symbolizes in a materialistic society, or an environmental awareness group to sue the nearest chemical plant for releasing toxins into the air and soil, which caused the tree to fall in the first place. Even though the squirrels who made their nests in its branches, and the woodchuck whose den was smashed by the falling trunk may complain about what the tree has done, the fact remains: The tree has fallen and would fall again, with or without anyone around to hear it.

This philosophical idea is one that came to mind Saturday morning as I hung from the roof of my family's maroon Rendezvous, smearing Pepto-Bismol-colored wax in places that people aren't going to see anyway. Being a highly educated college student, these are the kinds of thoughts that run through my well-rounded mind, even on my days off. While at home for a few days, I found myself doing a lot of thinking and came to several realizations. First, my father doesn't care what time it is. If he tells me to wash the car, I'm going to do it and like it. Second, no matter how much you yell at the television, Troy Polamalu isn't going to make an amazing interception and save the game. Third, and perhaps most importantly, other people's lives go on, even if you're not there to witness it.

This is something that everyone must come to realize at some point in their life. People returning from long vacations may be surprised to find that not everything is exactly as they had left it. Children who have grown up and moved away from a former home may come back to find that their old friends have moved on, have made new friends. Little Annie in the first grade may think it unfair that even though she is sick and unable to attend the party herself, Suzie is still going to celebrate her birthday with her other friends at Chucky Cheese.

While I have not experienced all of these things myself, I have experienced the surprise upon coming home to find that my family has continued with their own lives, in spite of my absence. My grandmother has been moved out of her house and into an apartment. My mother continues

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