By The River

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.