Even Monkeys Fall From Trees
Climbing, swinging, sitting, eating, socializing, playing, and living in trees isn’t just second nature to monkeys. It’s their way of being.
But … “Even monkeys fall from trees”. – Japanese Proverb
Humans fall from “trees” too. We slip, stumble, and fall literally and metaphorically. Many times we’re embarrassed and our confidence takes a hit. We hope no one noticed, we assess the damage, take emotional and physical inventory, and mentally process the moment. Sometimes we’ll dwell on what just happened; “should I ever go back up in the tree?”
Well … do you know what the monkey would tell us? Not much, I’m afraid. It’s a monkey and they tend not to speak.
But, they would be back up in that tree, looking down at us, not understanding why we’re still sitting there. Because when monkeys fall from trees, they shake their head, regroup, and get back up there, because it happens.
Even experts make mistakes. It happens.
Kids are experts at playing. And they’re experts at making mistakes. It’s their nature. It’s how they learn, develop resiliency, make adjustments, build confidence, and realize that falling or making a mistake or misstep is not the end of the world. Sure, we might get a little embarrassed, but we shake that off too and the other monkeys quickly forget.
As we get older, we tend to hold on to those mistakes and lose some of that resiliency. The best thing we can do is keep playing. Just because we become adults, as if it’s some kind of cosmic transition, doesn’t mean we stop playing. The activities and approach might be different, but we need to maintain our ability to fall and get back up in the trees.
Keep playing. Keep climbing. Stay resilient.
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash