. . . Just Life Along the Way: Out On a Limb or, Adventures of a Tree-Hugging Californian

The experience I'm about to relate took (at least) fifteen years off my life, I'm positive. I hope it will not have the same effect on my dear mother when she reads this.

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To begin, I must tell you that somewhere, on the other side of our cove and at the far end of a lovely, grassy field…there is a tree. Well, there are lots of trees, but there's one right along the school property line that has a small wooden platform about halfway up and a nice set of boards nailed to the trunk. For three semesters, I've harbored a secret desire to scale this tree, but never figured out a way to carry out my goal in a skirt. However, this is no longer a consideration; my wardrobe has now been expanded to include jeans. Besides, my days here are numbered and I couldn't let the opportunity slip by forever.

I decided that yesterday – a gloriously sunshiny day – was the day to conquer this tree once and for all. I hiked over to the field and found the tree. The platform was a little higher up than I remembered, but I'd set my heart on climbing that thing, and wasn't going to be dissuaded.

I walked over to the tree and looked up. Hello, Tree. I'm Rachel. I'm not afraid of you.

The tree gazed down at me. You're not afraid of me? …Just wait. You will be, mark my words.

I started climbing.

Going up was fun. Being up there wasn't half-bad. You gain a rather different perspective on the world (including a renewed respect for the law of gravity), but all in all, it's not too bad.

A wise person once said, "What goes up must come down." Unfortunately, this applies to tree-climbing. The realization seized me suddenly, and in that moment, I would have given anything to undo my actions. Why am I up here, anyway? Stupid, I told myself, stupid. Let this be a lesson to you. You don't need to live off of thrills; now look where you've gotten yourself. ( Those who know me well know that I'm by no means a thrill-seeker. I like a little adventure, but I'm quite happy to live without thrills, thank you very much.) …Here you are, 25' [actually it was only about 12'] up in this stupid tree and the only way down is to dangle your feet over the edge of this platform and try to find that first board.

I'll admit, I was scared. So scared, in fact, that I prayed. Desperately. What else could I do? I was shaking like a dead leaf in the wind. Every time I got up the nerve to dangle one foot over the edge, I pulled back in defeat and fear. The board was just out of my reach at a very awkward angle that required some twisting around to get a footing. I don't know how many times it took before I found the courage to reach out far enough to plant my feet on the first board and begin my journey back to safety and sanity.

The entire descent, I was clinging to the tree trunk for dear life. Finally I had both feet back on solid ground where they belonged. I was still shaky and somewhat lightheaded.

That's when I heard a voice. I think it was my mother's.

"Now have a cup of coffee, Sweetie, and you'll feel better."

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And here, expressly for your benefit, is a dramatic re-enactment from this afternoon...