Archives at Zinester: "Out on a limb". "I Believe in You!".

"Out on a limb" by Bob Perks

It seemed a perfect day to go for a walk. I live in an area that has no
sidewalks and the roads are hills and curved so that walking along side of them
is a death defying feat. So I head up behind my home to a development.
Although the roads are much the same, they aren't as busy as the one I live on.

It has been raining everyday now for more than a week. There are welcome breaks
of sunshine, but that only brings on the humidity. But I need the exercise and
so I sweat a bit. It makes me look like I really had a workout.

The homes in "Back Mountain," as the locals call it, can be big and elaborate.
But this development has ordinary homes nestled among beautiful trees and well
landscaped lots. I hadn't been up this way in some time but some things haven't
changed. A passer-by is still greeted by the same old dog. He can hear you
coming at least a block away. That's when he starts barking. It's a high
pitched constant bark that is more irritating than frightening. If this is your
first time, you might think he will rip your leg off. Then as he comes waddling
out of the driveway you realize there isn't much he can do.

Picture a watermelon with legs. Tiny, little legs. His belly literally drags
the ground.

He walks so slowly, you could lie down on the road and take a nap before he'd
get close enough to touch you.
But he makes me smile.

"He means what he's saying," a voice said.

I looked around and saw no one.

"If attitude could kill, you'd be dead by now." I still saw no one. "That dog
has an attitude!"

There he was, up in the nearby tree, just over the fence that ran along the
property.

"Well, hello," I said with surprise. "I started to think the dog was
possessed."

"No. Just the opposite. I think he's blessed. In dog years he's older than
dirt," the old man said.

"May I ask why you are up in that tree?" I asked.

"Pruning. An old prune is pruning a tree." he said laughing.

"Aren't you concerned? I mean I'm younger than you and I wouldn't climb out
there," I told him.

"Well, then you'd miss the whole point of having a fruit tree. In fact, you
most likely wouldn't be successful at much in life," he said as he crawled down
the limb. Slowly he inched his way to the main trunk of the tree and then, as
my heart raced faster, he stood up on the branch he was working on.

"You're braver than I, " I said shaking my head.

"Bravery has nothing to do with it. This is survival. The life of this old
tree depends on me taking chances. Just like in my own life. If I didn't go
out on a limb once in a while I wouldn't have succeeded," he said.

"Yes, but that's a tree and you're several feet off the ground. You must be at
least in your sixties. You might fall and break your neck. What would that
accomplish?" I said smugly.

"I'm in my seventies," he corrected me. "I get the satisfaction of knowing at
least I tried! The feeling of contentment for having tried to give something
back. This tree has provided shade and fresh fruit for the thirty some years
I've lived here. It's aging along with me and needs tending. Hiring someone to
do it is out of the question. So I need to follow through on my agreement." he
said proudly.

"When we bought this home I told this tree I'd take care of it if it took care
of us. It has."

"I never met anyone committed to a tree, " I said with a smile.

"Then you never met an environmentalist before," he returned. "You could learn
much from nature. In fact, it offers the secrets to life."

I stood quietly by. This man had much to offer. I had much to learn.

"There is a saying. In life, my friend, you must go out on a limb, for that is
where the fruit is!," he said as he climbed down into his yard disappearing
behind the tall fence.

Then suddenly the gate opened and he stuck his head out calling his dog,
"Timber! Timber!" Come in!"

"Timber?" I questioned him.

"Yes," he replied. "How'd you think he got so short. He didn't listen when we
cut down the big tree in the back," he said laughing and then yelled..."TIMBER!"

The dog came running. Well, he couldn't run, but he had the right attitude.

"I believe in you!"
Bob