I believe in
treehouses. As a child, I was fortunate
to have parents that did as well. We
lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in a home with a large yard, tall trees, and
that very special treehouse.
Every day after
school, I would rush home to change into my play-clothes and wait for the
doorbell to ring. Then would enter my
best friend, neighbor, and partner in crime—it was time for play. But what should we play? Where should we go?
The answer was always the same: The treehouse, where everything begins.
The treehouse
could become anything of the imagination.
Some days it was a ship, being tossed along rough waters. It would wreck
upon a desert island, beckoning to be explored by a brave pair. Other days, it was a private jet, carrying
two of the world’s greatest spies on their top secret missions. But then on other days, it was just a home;
it was a place in which we raised our “families”. It was a place that every once in a while, we
decided, needed a good cleaning. It was a place in which we prepared four
course meals with the finest ingredients.
We were proud of our house,
especially the “our” part. Truly,
anything we wanted to happen there, happened.
Since this time,
my family has moved away from this wonderful treehouse. We relocated to a new neighborhood, with
equally large yards and tall trees, but no treehouses in sight. When I go back to visit my old friend, I
cannot help but take a glance into that familiar back yard. From the road we stare at our abandoned memory’s
rotting wood. Sometimes we say things to each other like “Those people there
now, they are really missing out.” How could they not see this great thing they
have before them?
I believe in
treehouses, but more importantly, I believe in all of the possibilities they
hold. I believe life, like a treehouse,
is full of its own possibilities, and that is what excites me to live. Travel, adventure, and success lay beside the
simplicities of life, all for our choosing. As I live, I never want to be the person who
people look at and say, “They are really missing out”; I want to be someone
known for pursuing the possibilities and climbing the ladder, for that is where
everything begins.
