Last week, my son and I went to the river.
I know what you're thinking. "What happened to staying home?" It's not what you think.
When we hike down to the bottom of the hill that we live on, there is a small creek there. It is usually only a trickle of water. But on rainy days, or when snow is melting somewhere close, there is a little more water.
There is no real path to the little creek. We have to wack our way through overgrowth, and follow the wide erosion paths made by the last big storm. The area is super sandy and tough to maneuver, and results in a lot of dirt in the shoes! There are large trees and bamboo everywhere, making a dark forest like area close the river where I'm sure coyotes live!
Yet, my son loves this adventure. So I caved last week...probably due to guilt that my 10 year-old hadn't breathed any fresh air for a few days!
We found one path where the creek was deeper, running fast and gurgling. The trees were tall, bamboo was everywhere and the hills towered around us in that location. That is where my son decided to eat the snack he had tucked into his pocket. He probably needed it...after all, we had been walking for 15 whole minutes! After the snack, we spent some time building a makeshift bridge to avoid sinking too deep in the sand and walked as far as we could along the water.
It was impossible to follow the creek too far, as the bamboo had created a huge dam, so we headed back up the hill and found another location to access the river.
This time we found a sunny spot. There was a little berm to sit on beside the water. We found some dry branches and started to have "boat" races, tossing tiny sticks in and seeing which one was caught by the current and taken the furthest downstream. We stayed there and played for about 30 minutes.
He loved it.
I struggled. There were lists of things I had to get done, I needed to remember, I wanted to accomplish and more...all interrupting my peace. My whirling brain didn't have time to sit and watch sticks float down a river!
I reminded myself of the stay home order for schools until April 30, the fact my kids were on Spring Break with no home "learning", and the fact that 10 year old's don't stay 10 forever.
I sat down.
I broke off a twig, threw it into the water and cheered it on as it sauntered down the stream. I gave in to the warm sun on my back, the gurgling sound of the stream and the laughter of a 10 year old by who can make a game of pretty much anything!
I loved it.
The next day I found this poem, a perfect description of the joy I'd found.
STOP
It's amazing what can happen
when you stop
and pay attention.
Spend an hour outdoors
staring
at spring's gifts
and you might see
eternity encapsulated,
heaven collapsing
into the folding
of a butterfly's wings,
or you may feel
a world of contentment
in the way
a blackbird sings,
but only if you
stop
and pay attention.
Gideon Heugh, Tearfund
I hope this week you find a way to stop, too.
Kim
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