when did i stop doing the simplest of pleasures? like climbing trees, or racing your brother/sister or best friend across a field or jumping into a huge puddle just for fun. kids do these types of things everyday. they don't care about their shoes, or if their pants will get wet, or if there hair will get messed up by the rain or even if they will get cold and completely dirty. kids just do things because it is fun and they are impulsive.
i spent my sunday afternoon with someone who i think will help me be more impulsive. i had gussied myself up, i am a girl this is what i do, and headed out for an adventure. note to self: adventure does not equal heels. i had to buy a pair of tennis shoes. for all of you people following my clothing challenge i am thinking that this does not disqualify me because i can't wear them to work. so anyway, cheap pair of sneakers and now i am off. we went to the boardwalk in bellingham, not sure what its official name is but it was a boardwalk. as we walked along the boardwalk i stopped to look at some interesting sap on a tree, watched the birds dive under water, and watched the other people.
then there was a tree, and the fella that i was with all of a sudden leaped up into this tree. i just kind of looked at him dumbfounded. do grown ups really climb trees? what in the world is he doing up there? he looks down at me, he is many branches high, and says, "come on up." i kind of chuckled to myself, "ummm i haven't climbed a tree in years." "so, come on." well i am not one to back down from a challenge, i took off my coat and hung it up on a branch of a nearby tree and stood in front of my opponent. now i am wearing a pair of jeans that has very little to no stretch to them. i know really stupid why in the world did i buy them? oh yeah, my butt looked good in them! anyway, i looked up and asked, "how did you get up there?" "i jumped up to the first branch." well yeah that wasn't happening i know that i am not related to the kangaroo family in any way, this girl has no hops. so i casually walked around the tree and found a lower branch that i could lift my worn out race legs up to. in no time i was up that tree, right next to mr. kangaroo monkey man. "impressive, there aren't too many girls who would've tried." like i said i am not one to back down from a challenge.
being up in that tree was pretty cool. like i said i haven't climbed a tree in years, but i stood on those branches and was able to see things from a different perspective. it was easier to take in the fragrance of the needles, bark and sap being in it. i could feel the strength of the limbs under my feet. the texture of the bark was bumpy and rough, this tree needed lotion was my first thought. i didn't get any sap on my hand, thank goodness it is so sticky, but maybe this is exactly what i need. the ground looked far away, i didn't get scared i am not afraid of heights, but it was pretty cool that i was all the way up there.
then i had to get down. why is it so much easier to get up then down? i studied the path that i took to get there, the space in between the branches seemed so far apart. did i really come up this way? i held onto the branch for dear life and let myself down searching for that lower branch with my feet. before i knew it my feet were planted firmly on the ground again, i dusted off my hands on my thighs and donned my coat.
i am not sure when i cared more about my appearance than having fun. holy cow saying that makes me sound so shallow, but hear me out i think i can rationalize this and make some sense of it. as i get older i worry more about getting hurt, injured, broken. it takes a long time to heal broken bones or big gashes in your skin or even just strained muscles. i don't have the time to heal from a major injury. i also spend money, what little money i have, on clothes and shoes and since i am not growing taller or wider (this is usually the case unless it is winter and i am adding my "extra layer" for warmth) they should last me awhile. kids don't worry about this they grow out of their clothes before they have a chance to wear them out. as far as being gussied up, well this is just vanity. i think that i need a little extra help from make up and hair products to look my best, but this may just be my perception because it is a habit and i am used to seeing myself a certain way. so there not as shallow as it sounded, a little vain, but not as shallow.
remember when you were a kid and you had "play clothes"? that set of clothes that maybe didn't fit as well anymore, or you had stained it somehow and mom wouldn't get rid of it so she has now deemed it play clothes? i think i need a set of play clothes. i am hoping to spend more time with mr. adventure which means i am going to have to rethink how i get ready for adventures. i am thinking my best option is to dress how i normally would and then pack a bag of play clothes. this sounds like a great idea, i can still look girly for the arrival, change if need be, and then have clean clothes to put on afterwards.
i like the idea of being more spontaneous. having more opportunities to enjoy the earth and drink in all of its wonders. to be able to satisfy all my senses in one moment or one experience. i definitely need a tour guide to accomplish this. i have spent the last several years living my life a certain way, just existing. i am at a point where i am done existing and wanting to live.
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