River

The other day I sat by the river. It was a cool day with the sun peeking in and out of the clouds. The water lazily going by with a few leaves and drift wood bobbing slowing in time to a song that was near the edge of perceptible. Bird song was also light on the wind, trying to cull me into a midday nap. On days like this I liked to take my shoes off and rest my feet in the water. I never knew why this was so calming, but it would just take any and all the stress I had built up recently and let it flow out of my body and get taken away by the moving water.

The river bank was well kept, with short grass from the waters edge all the way to the paved foot path behind me. Every now and again a runner or a biker would amble through my world and continue on to wherever they were headed. I never really understood running to run, or biking to bike. I was a big fan of running from things that needed to be run from, or biking to places that I needed to bike to; the key being need. But that was beyond me this day, this was all about reflection and solitude.

There’s something so amazing and brilliant about having some time to oneself in nature. I mean, you’re never truly alone, you always have yourself they say, but beyond that, there are thousands of life forms all around you, all the time. It’s easy to lose sight of that, but sitting by the river you can focus. Close your eyes, and listen. You will hear the birds chirping, you will hear the squirrels collecting food for the impending winter, you will hear the wind kissing the trees and grass around you.

Open your eyes and look, look to places you would normally discount as scenery. I could spend a lifetime looking at a single tree from every angle imaginable. The trunk, with it’s bark, the base where it takes root into the soil, climbing up into the bows to see the intricacies of the branches interplaying with each other and every individual leaf. There’s even a wealth of life living on the tree, the squirrels, the birds, the badgers, the bees, the spiders, the caterpillars, so many life forms all in one space, and usually we just see a brown stick with green foliage on top.

I always found it good to make time to be here, at least once a month, I think I should do it more often. When the seasons change this simple space transforms into a new world each time. In autumn you get the crunching of leaves and animals preparing for hibernation. In winter, everything in a frozen state, a time to really examine life unmoving. And in spring, when life is renewed from the cold, waking creatures and new life infused into aged things.

-V-