I think it is evident by now that I love water. I love to be in it and I love to be near it. I don't know what it is exactly, but it gives me a very calming feeling and it centers me. When I'm having a difficult time with life, I either head to the airport to watch the planes take off and land or I go to the nearest body of water. Luckily for me, there are plenty of nearby lakes and rivers here in Wisconsin. But what about when I'm not at home? That's when it becomes difficult to find a place of solace. It's not that there aren't bodies of water outside of the state of Wisconsin. I'm sure that there are plenty of them. It's just that I don't really know where they are, so it takes some extra effort to find them and get there. I knew that a river runs through the back of my brother James' property in Columbia and I had been there many times before. But when I woke up on the morning that we were to leave and head back home, I felt like I had to head down there and see it again.
Much like I had ranted and raved about those Randoms having Lake Murray in their backyard, I couldn't help but be jealous of my brother for having this in his backyard. I don't know if he ever goes down there, but I certainly took advantage of it this morning. From his backyard it was difficult to get down to the river due to the slope of the bank, but I was able to walk down a little ways and "trespass" into the neighbor's yards to find the safest route to the water. So on this morning I hung out by the Rawls Creek and took in the beauty that nature was presenting to me. I wish I could put my feelings into words, but anything that I type will pale in comparison to what was washing over me at the place and time. How do you describe something like this? I guess this is one of the reasons why you are able to use pictures where words simply won't do it justice. So I'm just going to bow out and let these pictures do the talking for the moment. How can you not love a place like this?
I am technically walking distance away from the nearest body of water, as I could get to the Menomonee River on foot if I had the time. But it really isn't that close. I would have to plan it out and make an afternoon out of it. I can't just walk out into my backyard and collect my thoughts when I need to get centered. That's one of the more difficult things in my life. How do I find that river in my mind when I need to center myself? Maybe that's why I'm so lost all the time and my mind wanders to some pretty dark places. The dripping faucet in my bathroom is not the same as a babbling brook. A full sink full of dishes is not a pond (although in some Milwaukee neighborhoods, I can see how someone could confuse the two). There has to be something else there that centers me and allows me to reboot whenever times get hard to deal with and the nearest body of water is not accessible. I've seriously considered trying meditation. That might be the best option, as it can allow me to calm myself when I need it the most. You know what, that's going to be my next adventure. The next time that I need to center myself and a body of water is too far away, I'm going to try that. Can't hurt, right?
- pookon -
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