Playing in the Treetops

I started 2026 with a challenge!

The back story: every year at the end of Christmas break we take a quick trip before school starts to find some snow to play in. Living in Tucson my kids are deprived of the joys of a winter wonderland. I enjoy the privilege of visiting snow, and then leaving it to go home. The last couple years snow has come late to northern Arizona, and this year we couldn't find any--even the ski resorts couldn't make enough for sledding. So we found a different fun thing to do...

I hadn't imagined a ropes course in the trees as a metaphor for my business and life in 2026, but the parallels become clear when you're on a high wire. I turned 50 a few months ago, and while this activity does require some agility, I realized once I found myself on a narrow platform high up a Ponderosa pine tree that this was a mental obstacle course as much as it was a physical one.

A few things to note: no instructors or guides were up in the trees with us--it was a completely self-guided course with increasingly difficult obstacles that took you higher up the trees as you advanced through several circuits. There were around twenty or so other people going through the course with me, but I did this on my own (my kids did their own course and my husband was required to chaperone them). We could stop at any time, a ladder to the ground at the end of each circuit allowed us to take a break or be done for the day. There were a total of 5 circuits with a mixture of 10-17 different obstacles and ziplines in each level, ranging from rope swings, wobbly bridges, and scrambling walls. I made it through the first 3 circuits before I decided to be done for the day.

Here are a few take-aways from my experience that I hope to bring with me into this new year:

• The distraction of knowing others are watching can throw you off your stride. Don't pay attention to the spectators.
• The only way to make it across is to focus on the obstacles directly in front of you--when you lose focus you can lose your balance and fall--or fear can make you freeze.
• Trust the process and the tools. If you do it right there's safety gear that can give you the freedom to do hard things if you can overcome your fears.
• Pause to look around and see what's coming up. But don't focus too far ahead or you'll get overwhelmed.
• It's ok to push yourself out of your comfort zone. It is equally ok to define your limits and decide what risks you're willing to take.

I had a lot of fun playing in the trees and riding ziplines--but it was also a deeper experience of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and conquering fears.

Here's to taking on more challenges in 2026!