Sublime Prime Time of the Zipline Crime


Having conversations with people like my father, or his friends, or people around his age, is always a treat. These people always have great stories to tell about stupid things they did as kids and how much fun they had. For a long time I was looking for my “stupid memory” in a way, that I’ll tell my kids. One day, at my friend’s house, this memory was made.
My friends and I were always the type that got a kick out of doing really stupid stuff. We were in 8th grade and on this particular day, we decided that making a homemade zip line would be a fantastic idea. We took rope, wood, and a hammer and nails into the woods and got to work. My friend and I nailed the wood into a tree to make a platform, sort of like how tree houses are made but just the platform. It was not extremely sturdy, but then again, we didn’t really care. Next, we took the long rope and tied one end of the rope to the tree with the platform, and tied the other end of the rope to a tree about 30 or 40 feet away. We were having a great time, just being kids, not really thinking about any consequences or anything that could go wrong, and it was great. It was a beautiful day as well. Not too hot, but not cold either. It was just relaxing. Once we figured the zip line was ready to go, we needed to find something to hold on to that would slide us across the rope to the other side. We searched and searched through the woods, like little kids on an Easter egg hunt. At last, we found it. A random jump rope lying on the ground. No one knew who jump rope it was is, but we used it anyway. It seemed like a great idea to us at the time. What could go wrong? We thought.

I was the tester for the zip line. I don’t know why, but I stepped up to try it out first. I climbed up the tree and on to the platform, thinking that I was about to experience a great zip line with no flaws. It was like one of those times in the movies where you think something amazing is about to happen, like a turning point. Everything seems to slow down, and greatness is upon us. Feeling a rush of ecstasy run through my body, and a shiver that danced up and down my spine, I took hold of the rope with both hands, and it was a little loose. That should have been my hint to stop what I was doing, make the smart and educated decision, and get off of that death trap. But, I didn’t. I then secured the jump rope onto the rope that was tied to the tree, and just hoped for the best. I closed my eyes, and jumped off of the platform, thinking that I would sail smoothly across like a ninja moving swiftly from building to building in the dark of night, but once again, I didn’t. As soon as I was in the air, the rope untied, and I fell to the ground. What I did not know was on the ground was scrap wood. I did not land on leaves, grass, and dirt. I landed on wood. And I fell hard, from pretty high up. I landed on my back and it hurt pretty badly. My friends were all laughing and I got up and walked it off. As you can imagine, that was the last of the zip line.

As much as it hurt, I learned a lot. I learned that I have the capability to build things, although they might not work very well, my creativity came to life that day. Architecture in a way runs through my family. My father and uncle are both architects for Joseph Chapdelaine & Sons Builders. This responsibility was passed down to them from my pepe and and his brother, Jay. The company was passed down to my Pepe and Jay from their fathers. In total, the company has been around for about 85 years. I’ve been around this for my whole life and it is a career path that I’ve been considering for a long time. It hit me that day that building and architecture could be my calling. My brother and I work for my father during the summer, and I have a great time. It isn’t the cleanest, most enjoyable work, but it builds character. I feel as though taking over the company for my father and uncle would mean a lot to them, and the rest of my family, because that’s what has been done for many years, and making my family proud is something that is extremely important to me. Along with the recognition that I could embrace a career in architecture, I realized something else. I realized that as time goes on, things change. With sports, homework, working, and other responsibilities, I realized that I don’t get to do all those stupid things with my friends as much as I used to, and it is important to remember all those times spent with them. I will always remember the stupid zip line idea for the rest of my life, as a symbolization of my childhood, and all the great memories I made.