My Wise Maple Tree

Everyone should climb trees.

My favorite climbing tree is the wise sugar maple behind my childhood playground. The tree was right next to the wooden fence so I was able to climb up onto the fence and reach the first branch even when I was small. I spent hours in the branches of that special tree imagining and wondering about the birds I heard and the bugs I watched crawl along the branches. I remember breathing in the fresh pleasing smell of the tree and tracing the rough bark with my fingers. 

As I got older I never stopped loving my wise maple tree. In the summer I would race my dad to the top. In the fall I would jump from the lowest branches into leaf piles that we spent hours raking. In the winter I would climb to the top and watch the snow fall. And in the spring I would search the branches for bird nests so I could watch the baby birds grow and learn to fly. No matter the time of year I always loved searching the land for animals from my perch. In the branches of my tree my favorite thing to do was watch the river flow and shine in the sun in an ethereal way. I would watch from my perch as sticks and leaves navigated the flowing river like a dandelion seed in the wind. This tree will forever be very special to me. It sprouted my joy for tree climbing, the wonder of the things around me and simply observing the beauty of the world.