Go Out On a Limb

I love trees. To me this means being under as well as in them.  Up in them! I love to climb trees.

Proper people don't climb them I'm told, but these people don't know the beauty of branches and leaves all around you and the peace that can exist even in a big city. People told me girls aren't supposed to do unladylike things, but it is something I've done since I was a little. Tell the right girl she shouldn't be in a tree and you find a women in one.  This is a girl who ignores convention and thrives.

People may tell you to stay out of them, but trees are for almost  everyone with a bit of adventure in them.  Boys, girls, men, women and people who act their shoe size. ;-)

If you decide to try, please be careful and make sure you are  and the tree are both in good shape. Find a strong tree. Find one with large branches that can support your weight. I hang from the branches and see how they bend. Try some stretching first and loosen yourself up. Use a knot, hole or branch for a foothold, reach up and grab a branch and make believe you are an animal.  I'm pretty tall and that gives me good reach.  If you are a  kid or a smaller adult, you  have advantages too as you can move around in tighter areas better.  Some trees fit better than others, so do some scouting and find yours.

I usually wear gloves, thick jeans and a thick long sleeved shirt to prevent cuts.  Some people use ropes and go way up, but I just like to get into a place there there are leaves everywhere. When someone gives me a strange look, I look straight into their eyes and tell them I study trees.  This is true - I really am studying the trees!

A few trees have nice places that cradle you and allow you to sit.  There are several very nice ones that I climb and love so much I consider friends.  

I have learned nature exists all around us and that it is beautiful.  I have learned I can be away from people and closer to nature for awhile and focus on important thoughts.  I have learned I can take someone into the tree with me and watch with delight as they discover and grow along with me.  I have made other people smile  

Jheri says go climb a tree!  It is better than television and will connect you with nature even if you live in a city.  You can take a good book and spend hours up there.  The leaves blow around you, the limbs gently sway, squirrels do squirrel things, and sometimes birds fly by you.  The smell and feeling takes you from your worries and makes you realize what beauty is.  You are instantly a child with all of that imagination and wonder.  You are a scientist discovering new and wonderful things. 

I have gone up with a proper checkered tablecloth, silverware and candles for a formal dinner with a friend.  I have sat through warm rainstorms shielded mostly from the rain pounding down making a noise even I can hear.  There is a different world that is so close and it is only a short climb away.  

This perspective can inform your life if you just listen. To thrive you need a variety of perspectives. This is mine that partners with nature.