climbing trees
There’s a giant magnolia tree in my grandma’s yard that holds my heart captive.
📸by TN Nursery - Although not an image of THE tree in my grandma’s yard, it is probably as large and almost as beautiful.
As a child I climbed the mighty magnolia with my brothers while visiting my grandma and spent countless hours playing under the cool canopy it provided us. A magical world of a playhouse existed there featuring a bench for reading, a large rope ladder similar to the kind found at ropes courses at outdoor education locations, and a array of toys and tools. We spent weeks there letting our imaginations lead us.
I believe dance poses in trees to be considered the best form of site specific dance!
Apparently, we were deeply enthralled enough one summer to refuse to come down from the top of the tree to return home. The trick that worked? My mother stating that our teachers would miss us. That factor is as impressive to me as the majesty of the tree itself. Even that young, I loved learning.
Now, I still find joy in climbing in trees. I even have lots of evidence to share with you, which is primarily the reason for this blog post. Well, that AND it’s releasing in celebration of my birthday. Errr, um youthfulness…day!
The above time lapse photography of me hopping into a tree to perform dance poses took place in Salt Lake City by my friend Michaela. She graciously hiked up a popular trail to film me for a choreography class project my final semester of graduate school. It’s hard to believe that happened almost a decade ago.
Most people would claim “nothing has changed really or it all feels the same even though a lot has changed.” Not me. Life blindfolded me and swung me around willy-nilly, except I wasn’t the one holding the baseball bat swinging wildly for the pinata. Life took to the serious business of knocking my feet out from under me while calling out false instructions of guidance.
At least that’s how these past eight years have felt but I’m still dreamin’ and schemin’ anyway. Foolish? Probably. Brave? Every bit as much as climbing trees, rocks, and mountains can be. There just ain’t no other way for me to be though. You can strip everything from me and I’ll still retain my sense of bravery. Resiliency? I’m trying. The song by Elton John “I’m Still Standing” comes to mind.
I don’t know what’s around the next bend but I know it’s big and it’s bold and I deserve it. So, since what little snow stuck around is actively melting, I’ll keep my eyes out for a good climbing tree during my hikes and will report back to you with my findings. If you’re attempting to read a little life lesson out of this, I guess it could be this:
Maybe our youthfulness isn’t found in creams and potions and workouts. Rather, our ability to play in trees, release our pain to them, and share our dreams aloud while embraced by their wisdom is the healing necessary to uncover and re-open our hearts to childlike wonder that leads our lives.
Or maybe all this is really just for me? A discovery to help me through some mental gymnastics lately. Either way, I hope you find joy in a small, simple, playful event in your day. Each day. May this Spring renew your spirit and lift you up.
From left to right: Sprite sits in a fork of multiple trees growing together, Sprite performs a penché leaning forward with leg extended behind her while in the fork of trees, only Sprite’s upper body is seen through the middle of a stand of Douglas firs growing together.
Trees don’t get all the credit either. I willingly climb my kitchen counters every Sunday to water plants after all! Climbing mountains, rocks, and rock walls hits a bit different than climbing trees but keeps me living up to my last name all the same. Right? Hopefully, yes.
Anyhoo, the following photos of me posing on top of a red rock formation outside of Vernal, Utah demonstrate my love and admiration for exploring wild spaces through the act of climbing. Here’s to more of that in our lives this year.
What silly ways do you remain curious and playful?
