The cold crisp air circulated by a slight breeze nips at exposed fingers and the face.  It’s not as bad as the other day though, where it was cold enough to engage the snot faucet in the middle of my face.  Just cold enough to put a little bite in the air.  The sun going down causes a few issues though-I had to put my ladder stand up facing west, due to the property, and as the sun sets, it drops right into my eyes.  I slouch down in the stand, and try and use the burlap covering to help block the setting sun.  It’s mostly futile, but I do what I can. 

I can only slouch so far though; my fall arrest harness is tied off to a strap above my head, and keeps me from moving freely.  I’m honestly not great at using it…I do tend to forget it more often than not, but I’ve slowly started getting better at having it on when I’m up in a tree.  I’ve been in plenty of trees without one, and some of them were trees that honestly, I had no business being up in.  They were way too small, way too dangerous, but in the perfect place. 

It kind of got me thinking though.  Nothing better than deep thoughts in the trees during hunting season when nothing’s moving.  Shoot, my game camera hasn’t even gotten any pictures of deer moving on it in the past two months now.  Something’s been keeping them out of their normal areas, and I’m not sure what it is yet.  I digress, however.

I often don’t use my fall arrest harness, even though it’s the one thing that can save my life if I screw up or something out of control happens.  How often in life do we not utilize our fall arrest devices?  Whether those are a literal fall arrest harness, or a metaphorical one, such as phone a friend, talk to a friend, or other.

That fall arrest harness hangs on its hook, sits on its shelf, whatever, the whole time, just waiting to be utilized.  Even if it’s never used for its intended purpose, it can’t help you if you don’t choose to grab it and employ it correctly.  It’s not hurting anything to wear it.  It doesn’t get offended because you chose to put it on.  The only person that’s going to get hurt is you if you choose not to use it when you needed it. 

The similarities struck me.  When we start falling in life, whatever those challenges are, why do we constantly choose to try and catch ourselves by ourself?  If you fall 20-30 ft out of a tree without a fall arrest device, the only thing catching you is the ground.  It’s pretty much the same thing that happens in life.  The only thing stopping us from falling is when we hit rock bottom.  We need to get better about employing our life skill fall arrest devices before we put ourselves in a position to drop the bottom out beneath us. 

Those of us that are utilized as a fall arrest device are just hanging around (maybe not on a hook or in a drawer) but we’re just waiting to be employed.  We’re not offended when you ask us to help out, and it’s a lot easier to help out before you hit rock bottom than after you’ve hit it. 

Seth is a former Marine Staff Sergeant who was medically separated after 14 years. Often referred to as “Eeyore” due to his naturally dour expression, monotone voice and often gloomy sounding outlook on things. He writes when he has time, and breaks the stereotypes as a Korean born Asian-American who dips, drives diesel trucks, hunts, and used to ride bulls in his younger and skinnier days.

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