Trees for the Forest

It doesn't matter what industry, environment, work setting, job site or group of people you work with - if you work with them long enough, you start to use words that are common to the job you do. And if you work in this area long enough, the words become their own language. After awhile, you do not even notice that this language means nothing to anyone else, except the people typical to your environment.
     If you work long enough in the forest, you do not see the trees for what they are. They are all "trees". You do not see them for the pines, oaks, elms, maples, birches..... they are "just" trees. When someone new comes to work in your forest, you tell them to go over to that tree and do what ever you do.  Trouble is, when you come back, you have found that this new person went over to that tree, when you meant the other tree!  Now if you had taken two minutes to explain that you wanted the "pine" worked on and not the "maple" you would have saved both of you a lot of time and frustration!  The medical industry is the worst for this....  You walk into their world typically because you need help! (why else would you go there?) And before you know it, your head is spinning because these people in front of you are so lost in their environment and language, they do not even see that you have NO idea what they are saying. Then they get frustrated with you, think we are all idiots and they wonder how we even survive.....
     Trees for the forest. Next time someone walks into your forest, take the time to help them understand the difference in "trees" in your world. Explain the oaks and the elms. Help them to understand. Save yourself both some time. We have survived in the forest since the beginning of time. I don't think the trees have changed, I think we just have too many forests now.  James M. Swem