There is so much in nature that we take for granted, Geetika, or that we obliterate without consideration.

There was a vacant lot not far from our home. I say "vacant" but it was far from empty - many trees and bushes grew wild and beautiful on it. After years of a For Sale sign not attracting a buyer, the owner recently cleared the lot.

I completely understand the idea of clearing a tangle of bushes, vines and weeds and thinning out trees that are not healthy, but everything that was green and growing was decimated, leaving a truly vacant lot - one with no life.

I cried when I first saw the damage, when the murdered trees and bushes were tangled in vines in a heap, waiting to be hauled away.

I used to walk my dog down that street several mornings a week but now, we turn around a block short of that sad lot so I don't have to see the destruction.