Shade Of Bountiful Trees

These are not the trees mentioned in this article, but this image serves the article's message.
The trees mentioned in this article are the height of the telephone pole, and just as wide.

With every give there is a take.

Every single thing in life comes at a 'cost' of some kind.

There are twin massive trees on the street I currently reside on.

They are beside each other and in front of my neighbor's home, in that space between the sidewalk and the street.

They are so wide, they cast a great shadow over the street most of the day and onto that neighbor's home in the afternoon until evening.

When giving directions to friends, I say 'look for the humongous trees'.

Such trees provide much needed shade from a hot summer sun.

Walking into their shade changes the temperature possibly 10 degrees cooler, which is a welcome relief from walking in direct sunlight on a hut and muggy day.

The drawback?

During spring (now for some weeks) the seed-bearing fruits are dropping.

The fruits are very small and sticky to the touch.

If one's vehicle is parked beneath these trees during the spring, a pelting of sap where every fruit fell will be found... causing quite a mess.

If the fruits are not swept up quickly from the sidewalk, the piling up of fruits crushed under pedestrian feet turn into a dry paste that stains the sidewalk and sticks to the bottom of your shoes.

The stains remain for several months after the season is over... the mess might be brought into the house.

The fruit is not one that birds desire to eat, otherwise they'd be taken up or fought over... but they're not.

I'm sure there is a natural use for these tiny fruity drops as with every other naturally occurring thing on earth.

Consider how the comfort a great tree's shade comes at a cost.

The neighbor does go out often enough to sweep and keep his his portion of sidewalk very clean, but those large trees overhang into our property and the property on the other side of my neighbor... and that other neighbor does not sweep their sidewalk.

The cost is a bit of labor, and in return those trees provide enough shade to cool their house during the hottest parts of any given day.

Without a bit of labor, others are affected (and have to sometimes walk far into the street or across the street to the other sidewalk to avoid that mess... as I sometimes do).

On the way home, it is too easy to bring in all that mess into my home... and I'm quite picky about such things.

I reflected upon this tree and its cost for the past week, and this morning as I was leaving home the fruits were dropping at such a steady pace it sounded like the beginning of a strong rain shower.

They are beautiful trees that would be ideal (or something similar to them) to have surrounding an abode in places where the sun shines more often than not... and for that shade one would have to do some work, for nothing is 'free' on this earth... not even the shade of bountiful trees.