For my 92nd birthday celebration last week, I got to go "full extension" up into this giant eucalyptus.
Just before lunchtime the operator arrived with his cherry-picker adorned with a streamer with happy birthday wishes, balloons, to "take me up!"
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but wait!
There's an allegory here that is magical!
If you'll look at my extended hand -- then drop your eyes to the large curled piece of bark that is dropping to the ground -- let your imagination transform that bark into the front leg of a canine-like tree-spirit (you can make out the two ears, eyes, etc.,) and once on that path, you can see that these two elders (the centuries-old tree spirit and me) are having an intimate conversation. It's clear that this is a benevolent spirit since I'm obviously not threatened, but am leaning in (take note Cheryl Sandberg).
It took a while to get permission to use this photo, but today it came.
I hope you can see my animistic deity; but maybe it only needs to be seen by me.
At idle moments, I'm having a great time imagining a script ... giving identity to the tree spirit ... masked demon? Death? Ancestors in disguise?
... it matters not, since at a subconscious level, fear is obviously not a part of the equation.
Moral: It's probably not advisable to outlive one's therapist!
