A Creekside Sit

I went down to the creek this afternoon to sit for the first time this spring.   As I entered the park, the energetic rush of wind through the new leaves in the tree canopy drew my attention.

The water in the main creek was still a bit high and cloudy from the heavy rain we had last evening, but the bright afternoon sun still sparkled off the surface with white hot intensity.

It's such a simple thing, to go place myself in this spot and sit for an hour, observing what occurs.

The rush of water over the log dam into the pool below is constant.  At times the wind though the trees was loud enough to be heard over the water's ambient music.

White petals float by, pick up speed and disappear over the fall into the foam below.  A cardinal flies from the tree overhead, gliding downstream over the pool before finding another perch.  Soon a grackle lands on the bank and makes its way toward me, now and then out of sight behind a boulder.  Suddenly it appears atop the boulder just a few feet away, feathers and eyes gleaming in the sun.  I am an unexpected sight that motivates the bird to fly up to a branch out over the middle of the pool.  A bit later I spy a wood duck swimming into the pool from downstream.  After exploring behind some rocks near the south shore, he swam back downstream and out of view.

The sun is warm, the playground across the creek is full, mostly young children and their parents.  A baby seems excited to be getting perhaps its first experience on the swing set, bouncing around, arms and legs wagging.

A small red ant and a larger black one make appearances on the rock next to me, and then I see a long legged, mottled brown spider hugging the rock, motionless and cryptic.  The spider sits even better than I do.  When I got up to leave, it was still in the same spot, nearly invisible.

The park can be enjoyed in many ways, as evidenced by the people walking, running, and cycling by, those playing in the playground and picnicking on the grass, and the four young boys who came wading downstream past me.  The experience of being still, and tuning in to what is happening around me, is especially rich and rewarding for me.