River Reflection #1

On Tuesday, October 7^th I decided to make my first river reflection trip. I pulled into an area with an open field and a park, walked towards the river and found this little opening overlooking the water. I plopped down in the grass and sat there, waiting intently for something magical to happen which would inspire me to write an amazing blog.

Well a few minutes of silence passed, and no fascinating epiphany reached me. No incredible wild animal gained my attention, no stunning double rainbow graced my view. A few bikers made their way down a trail across the river and some cars flew by along a bridge, but nothing special. Then I realized, maybe I was trying too hard? It’s supposed to be a reflection, not a story I’ll tell my grandkids one day.

So instead, I leaned back, relaxed and tried to soak it all in. Out of nowhere, music began to play. Deep, southern folk. I hadn’t realized it, but the Woodshed was across the river down a little way and a live band had just began to play. The music was just right. It was the type of folk music that played in the video biography of Mark Twain. I closed my eyes for a moment, then gazed out on the water and imagined myself on the bank of the Mississippi.  

It sounds cheesy and oddly convenient for this type of assignment, but something has always intrigued me about bodies of water, including rivers. I imagined the Mississippi River 200 years ago, carving a path through the country side and eventually meeting the mighty Missouri River in St. Louis, where I was born. I thought about what St. Louis was like back then. Then I remembered when my family and I visited a museum which explored the impact of the rivers on the city and I thought about how the Trinity affects those in our area.

The scene also reminded me of the Ohio River, a divider between Ohio and Kentucky. During the 10 years that we lived in Cincinnati, my family and I would frequently travel to Louisville where most of my father’s side lives. Both areas were no more than half an hour away from the river, respectively. The murky water of the Trinity reminded me of looking out at similar waters from the porch of a restaurant named King Fish, located along the river in Kentucky. I swear I could taste their delicious hushpuppies. I remember my grandfather spinning the tale of how the Ohio River completely froze over in the early 1900’s and how my great-great-grandmother walked all the way across it from Kentucky to Ohio.

I ended up sitting there in the shade for close to half an hour, just staring out at the water and letting my mind wander. There’s something calming about rivers even if there are apartment buildings and restaurants and parks lining its banks. And I reflected on how I’ve been close to a major river almost everywhere I’ve lived and the stories I can tell because of them.

This afternoon was a perfect chance for me to unwind and reflect on a jam-packed, stressful, sleep-deprived but fun last couple of weeks. It brought back fond memories, some bringing a smile to my face and others inducing a longing sense of nostalgia. I’m going to try and make river reflections or just any sort of outdoor self-reflection more of a regular thing. After all, this view isn’t half bad.