I feel like curling up in a chair with a drink and doing a
bit of quiet writing today. No talking, no music; just me and my notebook.
I want to write about simple things today as I sit here,
filling my notepad with scribbles, which I will transfer onto this screen and
to you. Hi there.
It has been rainy here today. Right now I am sitting on a
patio outside of a restaurant I go to sometimes. It is spacious and built from
what looks like oak; it reminds me of looking out from a mountain cabin balcony
onto the woods; there is a tin roof supported by strong beams and the space is
scattered with iron tables and chairs, and servers are bustling about with a
warm southern charm amongst the laughter and conversation of the patrons. Every
now and then a train goes by on the track just down the road, and the warning
whistle blends with the sound of the river and the restaurant ambiance,
creating a small symphony of life.
I like to come here sometimes, because of this patio. It
overlooks a river; at this point in the river there is a waterfall at the edge
of a reservoir; there are lots of trees with branches full of tender green
leaves, and you can hear the water as it cascades over the fall. There is a
rope swing off in the distance, and I can’t help but smile when I think of all
the people who have surely made summer memories swinging off that rope into the
cool water, and of the laughter and joy that are brought on by simple
pleasures.
There is something so calming about this river. It is not affected
by traffic jams, or dress codes, or people’s opinions; it just is – ever
flowing, ever steady.
The river is always here, yet it is also constantly
changing. It is never stagnant or murky, but always being renewed with the vibrant
energy of life. I feel like we understand each other, me and this river. I want
to constantly refresh my life, my ideas, my energies, and my view of the world,
just like this river is renewed by rain and fresh current, I want to learn new
things, see new places, but also appreciate the gifts I have been given and
never take them for granted.
Sure, there are wonderful, big exciting moments in life to
be had, like the excitement of surging through rapids; but there are also a
thousand little moments that fill in the holes in between, like watching the
leaves that drop and drift on the surface of the calmer currents, creating
lovely images of spring beauty as they pass gently by; these are the bits that
come back to our minds in quiet times like these, reminding us of the beauty of
life; they are a smile when you are sad, the sound of laughter on an overcast
day, or a conversation with a friend that leaves us better off than we were
before; these are the gifts that stay with us while encouraging us to change
for the better, just as sure as the river ebbs and flows.
Sometimes life can be complicated, like an out of control
canoe tossed about in a swift current. Sometimes I feel like I am in that
canoe, trying to paddle to safety and hold on for dear life. These are the
times when I can’t sleep at night and my mind is buzzing and I’m trying to
figure out answers to questions I don’t even know I’m asking, and trying to
explain emotions that I don’t know how to process or put into words. Sometimes
we just don’t know, like clutching that paddle and feeling small and tossed
about in the current without answers, and the mind spins like a compass over
the Bermuda Triangle. But then I think about the things in my life that I do
understand, the questions that I do know the answers to, and the gifts I have
been given; I turn my thoughts to simple things, and my mind is eased.
There is a quote that I remember from a song I heard as a
child that still makes me smile today. The lyrics are “If you’re worried, and
you can’t sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you’ll fall
asleep, counting your blessings” (by Irving Berlin) - I think about this at those troubling times, and am reminded
of all the gifts that I have been blessed with. I am loved and I do love; I
have the ability to think, and to see, and to breathe, and to walk, and to feel,
and create. I think about nature, and the owl that lives in a tree behind my
house. No one tells him to fly, he just does. Nobody stands outside and coaches
him on the best way to “hoo hoo” perfectly or how to catch a mouse just so. He
just does it. In his own way. With grace and strength.
Being happy is not about seeing life through rose colored
glasses. It is about learning how to look at it through lenses of hope, and love,
and tenacity. If we strive to make things feel picture perfect, we will come
crashing down, like being tossed out of that canoe, flipping over and being dragged along as
we struggle to swim for shore. We don’t have all the answers. And that is ok.
I’m jotting down all these thoughts as I sit by this river,
at times pausing to close my eyes and listen to the water as it falls; yes,
life can be confusing, and frustrating, and sometimes make us feel crazy when we
don’t know how things will turn out, but it can also be simple, and lovely, and
surprise us with simple joys that leave us renewed and refreshed, like sitting
in a chair on a patio by the river.
