A few days ago, I had a truly enjoyable afternoon. It was a Sunday, so I'd gone to church in the morning with my family, and after eating breakfast (or whatever you might want to call it at 1-something pm), I found myself--as I often do--at my computer. I think I started to play Stepmania, which is my default activity because it's relatively stress- and thinking-free...although there are definitely plenty of things I could do on the computer that'd be interesting and far more useful or relevant or something. But soon I realized: the rain of several days had finally stopped, and it was sunny and warm and gorgeous outside. What was I doing sitting inside? The computer would be here whenever, but not this beautiful weather.
So, I collected a blanket (the one I managed to get from that Celebration on the Green thing, haha), a couple CD's (old school, perhaps, but good nonetheless) to which I hadn't listened in quite awhile, and materials to begin making a bracelet/anklet. I think before I even fired up the CD player, though, I just lay down and stretched out under the sun... It felt so, so good. The sky was blue, and I looked up at the bright green leaves on the huge tree at the front edge of our yard ("my tree", as I've called it for years). Nature felt peaceful, happy, perfect.
Then I put in one of the CD's - One Day Deep, by Praful. The guy plays a couple saxophones, flute, and some Indian bamboo flute...? The music is pretty chill, maybe a little bit weird, interesting and different, but right then, it was perfect for the moment. And so I relaxed, opened up the bracelet book, looked up how to make the supposed most difficult design, and just spent awhile knotting and threading the embroidery floss... (it's coming out pretty well so far!).
The CD finished too quickly (are there really no more songs? haha...) and after some more time looking up at my tree, I started thinking I might like to climb it. Even though I didn't try to just lift my body by my arms to get my leg up around the usual branch, I'm glad that at least I could still jump and swing the leg around, then get up there. I moved from one thick branch to the next, noticing again the branches my dad cut off (he thought they're dying, or something?) and feeling a little sad... I climbed up to the "second level" and leaned back against one of the branches curving upward, remembering the spots I used to sit in (and that I actually used to fit in them haha). The tree is pretty amazing, and it felt good, sort of pure, to be up in it, close to and among it. There was a tinge of loneliness though, because I could imagine being up in the branches with someone else and having some kind of good talk... I don't know what it might be about or even how it'd come about, but I think I would enjoy it, if it somehow happened.
Anyhow, when I came back down (jumping down from the branch felt good too) and cleaned up the blanket and such to go inside, I felt like I'd had a truly peaceful, perhaps rejuvenating (a little like yoga meditation in high school gym?) day outside... :)
(The picture, just to note, is from about a year ago, but my tree looked just about as pretty a few days ago as it does in that picture!)
