DAY 208
10.30.07
TREE 132
I helped Norman move a washer/dryer up the stairs of Sarah Frederick’s house. Then I left because I said I had to go back to the Mary Anderson Center to do stuff, ie: get ready to move, train Emily, tie up loose ends. But before I did, I dropped off some art work at Drew’s. Of course, when I showed up, Drew wanted to talk a little and MaryLiz was there too. So I hung out and kept saying, "Well… I gotta go home real soon." Well… 2:20 turned into 6pm and though it was nice to chat, I felt kind of bad. I finally left and thought I had better climb, I’m already so late getting back as it is. I drove to Cherokee Park and looked for another spot I haven’t been to yet to climb. In a small field right off the road was a collection of nice big beech trees. I parked a little further down the road and walked over. The first tree I walked up to must have been sitting in a puddle in the last rain cause the ground was all muddy and no grass really remained. I looked up at the limbs and it just wasn’t good. So I walked to another very large beech. And that one didn’t hit me, but then I looked across the road, and was hit. An even larger, more expansive beech. Only, it was strange because it was mostly green while all those others across the street were mostly copper. Maybe sitting in the water had something to do with it.
Anyway, I climbed into this monster with high hopes. But I did not get to the top.
Instead, I climbed way out to the end of a few long limbs about half way up.
It’s amazing how strong these limbs are so far out from the trunk.
I had some scary moments moving about but mostly it was a nice climb, difficult, and it helped my mood. I let my worries slip. I’m leaving soon from the Mary Anderson Center. I’ll get back when I get back, no big deal. Tree climbing has been great for my mood. I love it.
10-29-08: You know how Drew and MaryLiz kept me? They showed me funny videos on the internet. "Oh oh, there is one more you HAVE to see before you go!" Don’t listen to ’em, man. You can watch those things anytime. If you’ve gotta go, just go. You could spend all day watching funny shit on the internet. Sometimes you just got to know when to say when.
I am learning that. Damn slowly though. I just tried a new thing today. I put a cloth over the TV. I didn’t watch any today. Not yet. (So, uh, yeah, Drew… there is a cloth on your TV.) If it weren’t for this here blog, I wouldn’t have any reason to get on the internet everyday either. Emails can wait, the news can wait, homestarrunner can wait, facebook can wait, all the stuff I do on the internet can wait. What I do know, though, is that I can just go outside and climb a tree and all the negative thoughts about wasting my time and having no self control, well, it all just fades away into this blissful feeling. Everything is going to be ok. It’s motivating. Hell, that’s why I climb trees. That’s not exactly why I started, but now, I do it to make me feel better. It’s like a drug and I need it. If I didn’t climb, I honestly don’t know what would happen. I may sink into a horrible depression. Not only would it break my streak of 574 days (so far) but I wouldn’t have that reason to make myself get outside, interact with nature, have time to think, by myself, improve my mood. As far as drugs go, tree climbing ain’t that bad of one.
I let the day go yesterday. At least after catching up on my blogging. So by the time Drew got home and we were both hungry it was well past dark and pretty damn cold outside. Drew was really in the mood for some yellow curry so he said he was headed to Kroger for some groceries. I hopped up to go with him and dressed very warmly. When we got there I said I was off to climb and gave him some money. I went behind Kroger and saw one tree but then realized it was covered in poison ivy. I walked over behind the Speedway and found an okay tree. The trunk was covered in some ivy, but not poisonous.
The trunk was a good size for shimmying and the first branch not too far off the ground. So up I went, struggled onto the branch, then continued a few branches higher. The tree’s trunk started bend and curve and I really wanted to keep going up but there was a large gap in branches. I was going to have to shimmy but with all the ivy so thick I was afraid of slipping. I looked at it real hard for a while before resigning to defeat. I got out my camera and the finger freezing began. When I would feel for buttons on the camera I couldn’t find them because I lost feeling. I was a little surprised that it was that cold out. I
managed to take some pictures with and without flash then made my way back down. Drew was waiting in the car and we went back and made ourselves some damn good dinner.
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