Kids, Trees, Trampolines and Fear!

What is it about trees that attract kids so much? I came home early to day (4pm instead of 9pm) and since it was such a nice day today I lay on a bench under a tree and read. As I looked up at the sky I had falsh back of me as a kid playing in my front year. There was one tree to the side of our property that me and my siblings and the neighbour kids always played in. It was a tall tree, not one that you could built a tree house in, and yet we loved it. We spent many an afternoon climing, hiding and just having fun in it. I think we even made up stories or games in it.

It got me thinking.... Why is it that kids take every oppertunity to climb trees and once you hit your teens you seldom ever do again? Maybe its cause we get to fat :) or that it seems like a childlike thing to do? Or maybe its because we get cautious and realise how painful a fall could be or what climbing a tree does to our clothes?

On that note, it's funny for me to remember but every Sunday after church all the kids at church would run out to the big tree in the back. It was a SWEET tree, because there was this perfect branch that you to jump too and swing and then hop down. It was kinda high, but hey we were kids and we were fearless.

Even though I was still a tomboy at that age, I was not the only girl climbing this famous tree in my dress. (I don't know how we geot away with it, I'm sure I came home with holes in my clothes).

Well, the funny story is one Sunday, we stayed for a baptism. At one point my mom asked me to go find my younger sister. I being the mature oldest walked around and couldn't find her, but what I did find was the oppertunity to climb my favorite tree as no other kids were around. So, I did my usual thing but something happened this time and as I jumped to swing and grab hold of the 'swinging branch', I slipped and fell and landed on my arm. It was quite sore, so there I was, dam*, how was I gonna go back inside and have to tell my mom I hurt my arm while looking for my sister?!?!

I did and lickily we there was a lady in our ward that was a doctor. I had broken my arm (supposedly green branch break), and now that I think of it, I think I didn't climb many trees after that. So is it fear then?

We used to have one of those big trampolines in our yard. I had been a gymnast, and so when we got it I started out doing back and front flips right away. I loved it! Jumping was the greatest feeling. Until one day I guess I got tired, I did just one too many and re-bounded off it falling into our makeshift washing line of two ropes strung across the back yard. It was painful and humiliating. It was after that that I didn't do many back flips. Recently I took a gymnastics class and it took over an hour for me to get over my fear of doing back flips, I was doing them, but not correctly because I was scared. I still have a few issues doing them, I arch and puch back too much before I rotate: all due to fear.

There must be other things in my life that I don't do out of fear. Should fear stop us? I try not to let it, but it really affects a major part of the brain. I find that fascinating! Maybe I should do dome sore of survey or study???