The Second Third

Do you remember climbing trees when you were a kid?  I sure do.  I remember the tree climb being on of the most fun, gutsiest, and ballsiest things there was to do.  After all, climbing trees was not only inherently dangerous, but it was also forbidden by the old wrinkled ones.  Climbing took skill, strength, stamina, and most of all courage.

There were numerous things one could do in a recently concurred tree.  For example, a pine tree is a great place for a smoke, or a sip of whatever alcohol had been pilfered from the parents stash.  Not to mention, the tree tops were the perfect spot to plan an attack, confide in a friend, “read” a Playboy, or hone your woodworking skills building a fort.  It sounds funny, but a lot of life lessons can be leaned in a tree.

It’s a shame that our generation (X) is really the last that will have these fond memories of tree climbing and fort building.  Generations after ours are being raised in such a tech-centric world, climbing trees is the last thing on their minds.  Instead, they choose (or have chosen for them) to be inside watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing video games.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved all of those activities as a kid, but back then, there was some balance.  We loved video games, but we still desired the classic childhood experiences as well.  I remember playing Ghost & Goblins all night long, and then heading out to the woods the next day for a full day of killing the enemy with stick guns.

So if anyone between the ages of 8 and 15 have stumbled upon this blog, I say go ahead – climb a tree, take a sip, have a smoke, fall on your ass, break a bone, it’s good for you.  and if you are over 15, you probably shouldn’t climb a tree, it is subject to diminishing returns, and probably won’t help your social life very much.