A Tree in a Vast Expanse

I dreamed the other night that I climbed a tall tree. It was, perhaps, 300 feet. I climbed as high as I could, then went way out on a branch that jutted out perpendicularly. I climbed out until the branch was no thicker than my leg, and I just sat there for a while, enjoying the way I was swaying in the breeze. From that height, I could see for miles in every direction, and it was a beautiful, warm, clear day.

After a while, though, I decided that it was time for me to head back. A little fear had crept in, I think. I stood up on the branch I had been sitting on, and started slowly making my way back toward the trunk, using another, thinner branch as a handrail. Now, suddenly, I wasn't enjoying the swaying of the branches so much. They suddenly seemed flimsy and unstable to me. It occurred to me that at any moment my feet might slip, and then I looked down; it was a dizzying height. I immediately felt my heart rate spike, and I struggled to keep my breathing regular. Thoughts of falling started racing through my head, and I kept thinking how if I slipped, my hands wouldn't be strong enough to hang on.

I kept moving, though, and my hands and feet found their own way. My feet went just where I wanted them to, and my hands felt secure on the parallel branch. The thicker the branch got, the easier it became to walk, and when I got back to the trunk, I pulled myself up onto a branch well above my head, and I remember thinking, "My hands are strong, after all! My arms could have easily caught me if I slipped! The real danger was all in my head."

I climbed back down the tree quickly and easily; truly enjoying myself the entire way. When I reached the ground, I stood there for a moment with my hand on the trunk, and my feet on the ground, looking back up, with complete satisfaction, at the adventure I'd just had. No one had seen me, and that didn't matter at all. As I stood there, I remember feeling strong and extremely capable.

It was a very good feeling.

-BR 3.4.08 2.24am