From that title, you might think I was going to talk about this year. I have definitely felt a few times like I was walking a tightrope, high in the air, praying for balance. But this is a newsletter about life lived outside, beautiful plants, and butterflies. I’ll leave the deep stuff for someone else.
No, the tightrope we walked this week was literal. For Maddy’s birthday, we got her a slackline. Before Kim mentioned it as a potential birthday present, I had no idea what it was. Turns out it is pretty straightforward. A really long and strong piece of webbing gets looped around a tree or sturdy post, connected to second tree or post, and then tightened up really well. Once stretched and tight, you walk across it, or at least try. The webbing is about 3 inches wide, so plenty of room to put your foot on, but it is called a slackline because it does have some give in it. The weight of the person determines how far it “slacks.” We did also opt for a guideline that stretches tree to tree over your head that you can use for balance.
Once I got it arranged between the trees, the first thing I did was jump on and try to walk. It didn’t go so well. Fortunately, with the guideline above, I didn’t fall off, but my legs were wiggling and jiggling back and forth like they were made of jelly. Of course, Abby and Maddy jump on it and just start hauling back and forth. I half expected them to start doing jumping jacks as they stared at me with the “come on, Daddy, it’s not that hard” look on their faces. I mumbled something about how much heavier I am than them, but I’m a good sport. I jumped back on and before too long, I had the hang of it.
The girls have enjoyed having something new to play with in the backyard and it seems like a little extra balance and core strength will be good for all of us. Plus, when you get bored walking back and forth while holding on, you can always let go of the guideline and just walk. None of us have quite gotten the hang of that yet.
So that was our outdoor fun this week. What are you doing to keep life outside interesting this year? With all the time we are spending outside, we are definitely having to be creative. But the list of things to do never ends, whether it is tending a garden, watching for butterflies, or perfecting your balance. And whatever way you spend your time, it is all a perfect distraction from and preparation for the tightrope of life.
