climb

I finally decided to climb. The desire has been raging inside for a year at least. The love began at my grandparent's cabin on Lake Silvia, MN. Outside their small cabin, a huge pine tree grew. I would often hide up there when I wanted to get away from the world around me. "Where's Ruth? Check in the tree." I remember one day climbing to the very top, which gave me an incomparable view of my most favorite body of water. This love continues as I age. I was able to travel to Nigeria when I was 18 where I spent a month with a group of orphan boys living together in a place called the Transition House. There were ripe mangos growing all around the premises, so I could not resist but climb and eat. Elijah was my companion; he would call me monkey girl, which made me laugh..

Today was the day to reconnect with my roots. I was walking down Poly Cannon Road in search of an adventure. I came across this lone ranger of a tree. Its bark was somewhat smooth; the trunk diverged up about 6 1/2 feet, which was just high enough to give me a bit of a challenge to climb. My skills were a bit rusty, and as people were passing by on their afternoon jog, they saw me attempting to climb this humble tree. I took off my shoes in hopes that my bare paws would have better traction than my Birkenstocks. Soon, a jogger stopped and asked me if I would like a boost. She was laughing, which made me think my silly adventure was somehow bringing her joy. I accepted her offer with much appreciation and made my way up up and away. She handed me my shoes to protect my feet on the decent.


I would have thought climbing would be easier as I age due to my lengthened limbs, that wasn't the case. All that aside, I made it for the first time in a long time. I sat there for a few moments running through memories, then I looked out. "I feel like Thoreau" I thought to myself. He climbed trees and discovered things he would have never seen without climbing high.

"For I discovered new mountains in the horizon which I had never seen before, --so much more of the earth and the heavens. I might have walked about the foot of the tree for three score years and ten, and yet I certainly should never have seen them."
-Walking

I don't believe I discovered new mountains, but I did discover a twig forked between the branch I was sitting on. It was dangling in the air which fascinated me because it had to have fallen in an ever so specific way to have hung the way it did. It was there for my eyes only.

The bark of this sycamore was new to my eyes. It felt like a scaly layer of a rough over a smooth base. Its variety of colors fascinated me. When I looked from afar, the bark reminded me of an impressionist painting because of it's distinct chunks of colors appearing to lack detail, but as I got closer, intricate patters and different shades of grey covered it's surface.

Being in the air reminded me that being a kid is such a freeing time. Yes, I was immature and wore big glasses, but to unabashedly climb trees as a frequent activity seems so liberating. So much is making sense all of the sudden. My favorite books were Bernstein Bears, I've always dreamed of living in a tree house, I loved the movie Swiss Family Robinson, and I love climbing trees. There's something magical up here. I was made to breath this air.


I need to get up more often.