Not for environmental reasons, but trees hold a special place in my heart. Those who have seen my childhood would agree that i practically grew up on them :D :D :D I even almost lost my life to a tree.
Flashback to 20+++ years ago in our little town up north, Lagawe. I think i was 4-5 yo then.
It has been raining all year. (In retrospect, it probably only felt like a year then since for me not to be able to play outdoors, a week seemed like forever.) One day, the rain stopped and it was finally shining! YAY! I hurried my breakfast, jumped off the chair with food still in my mouth, ran out the door with Manang Conching (she was our househelp) running after me with my slippers. I was that excited! I just yelled for my friend Cheryl who lives nextdoor to come out and play with me. We went to our usual play area where there was this big mango tree in the middle and a guava tree beside it. They were not really too close but some of their branches are touching each other :) I have mastered the way of transfering from one tree to the other.
That morning, the trees were still a little wet and slippery. (i still know that smell of damp bark and leaves until now!) I knew climbing would make my clothes dirty but i didn't mind getting a pinch or two from Cruela Conchita when i got home.I missed this, was what i thought! I slowly climbed the mango tree, while cheryl - more tamed and prim than i was - stayed down. I warmed up a little, literally getting my grip on branches then successfully transferred to the guava tree! Climbed up again, much more confident this time, then asked Cheryl - I bet you I can go to the other tree with my eyes closed! BIG MISTAKE! I was only able to go halfway when a branch i held on snapped (probably rotten by the rain). I fell to the ground and hit my left cheek on a protruding root. The fall was so surreal, it felt so fast and slow at the same time. It felt like i was suspended in mid air for a long time. Then Baaam! After the fall, i felt nothing - no pain whatsoever. I knew i wasn't dead because i could hear Cheryl calling my name, trying to wake me up i guessed. Then i felt her going away, further and further, until i couldn't hear anything but my breathing.
I probably lost consciousness after because when i opened my eyes, i saw all white - turned out to be walls. Then i saw my mom. I figured i was in a hospital. I learned later on that i had undergone surgery for them to fix the broken - hmmm - i really don't know up to this time what exactly got damaged, i can only feel a space in my cheek and my other eye is smaller. I didn't know how long i was unconscious, i didn't wonder that time. I was just so afraid my mom would scold me so i kept my mouth shut. She didn't. She should have :) because 2 weeks after coming home from the hospital she was shouting at me while i was on a branch of another tree with gauze still on. "PiongPiong!!! Bumaba ka dita! uk*ni**m! patayin nak ti nerbyuuuusss!!!" (Piongpiong, get down from there *insert profanity here* you're going to kill me of worry!!!) :D:D:D
Happy times...
I had a couple or more falls after that, not as serious as that first though, but those didn't stop me from climbing again. While girls my age were probably busy with their piano and ballet lessons or their barbie dolls, i was having the time of my life conquering the top of the world!!!... ok, maybe the top of the guava tree but when you're that young, it's the same thing!
Happy times indeed. And i want G to experience that. Not the falling part! But how it feels when you go a branch higher, then you look down and feel a little scared since you're getting too far from the ground... but there are still a couple of branches to go so you muster all your courage and reach for that other branch ... then you try to calm yourself and steady those trembling tiny legs ... then reach for another until you get to the top. What a sense of accomplishment, especially to ADHD me (yes, i self-diagnosed myself... and yes, redundancy intended).
We live in the city now and running this rat race, we can't go home to Lagawe as much as we want to. So i try to give him a 'province-like' surroundings. We planted rambutan, mango, guava and guyabano (if this counts) trees around the house and i can't wait for him to be climbing them for fruits. I believe he got my balance, so he'll be a good climber. :-). I know i wont be as panicky as his Wowa Tess, well.. i think i wont be.. i hope :-)
I know he wont be climbing that avocado tree but it adds to the provincial feel we are trying to build.
So, No Hon! I wont let you cut it down. You might want to look for other ways to drive those termites away. :P
♥♥♥
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