We never outgrow our childhood fantasties, sparked by the books that take us to faraway places. Especially when, as grown-ups, we learn that they can come true after all. Sam Wilson-Späth tells all from her perch in a Faraway Tree
My husband built me a treehouse for Christmas. It’s not actually a treehouse, more of a tree platform, but I am not allowed to call it either. Apparently, when you are over 40, you don’t climb up into a tree and sit there for a bit. You enjoy a ‘canopy experience.’
I adore my treehouse so much, I have consciously had to hold back from posting too many pics of my leafy view on Twitter, SnapChat, Facebook and Instagram. (I have failed dismally. I bumped into a friend last week who said: ‘Sam? Everyone you know is now aware of your treehouse. Possibly everyone you have ever met.’)
I was a huge Faraway Tree fan as a child. Who am I kidding? I’m still a huge Faraway Tree fan. For those of you who weren’t Enid Blyton children, the Faraway Tree is the heart of the Enchanted Forest, and serves not only as a magical home for a number of interesting fairies and creatures, but also as a portal into a number of worlds like The Land of Dreams or The Land of Secrets.
I had no idea I was going to love my tree platform so much, but I do. It’s my refuge, my calm-down spot, my ideas hub, my gratitude place and a good hidey hole, all in one. I feel like I have my very own Faraway Tree, where I can access other worlds, in books, in podcasts, in meditation or just idle thought. It has brought back childhood magic, at an age when I could not need it more.
I think we all know there isn’t enough magic in the world. Delight is a scarce resource, especially for grown-ups. Yet delight is exactly what we need. And one of the best way to find it? By staying still for a bit in the small things.
Lying on cushions in my treehouse, my feet finding comfortable purchase on branches, I get to stop in time a little bit. Smell the roses, or in my case, the soft smell of bark and leaves. Also the wifi doesn’t reach my tree. That helps.
I think about my life when I am in my tree, and how many things I really love about it. I think about the people in my life and the things I love about them. I try to think about the things that I love about me, but that’s harder. I hope more time in my tree will make it easier. My problems seem smaller when I am in my tree.
Most of all? I love that Andreas knows me well enough to have given me such an incredible gift. That he made sure the ladder was solid and sturdy. That it has a shelf for a citronella candle, a drink and a snack. That it has fairy lights so that I can enjoy the extra magic of being in a tree after dark.
I also love that he understands that for this to be my own place in the Faraway Tree, it needs to be my place to explore. My husband and my sons both respect that my treehouse is my space, and enjoy leaning out of the kitchen window when they need to and shouting things like, ‘Hey Mom? Get your butt back down to the real world! MasterChef is on!’
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