Fall on the River

It's amazing what you can find when you settle down in nature for awhile. Sometimes, you'll find the sun at the perfect angle, the air at the perfect temperature, and the perfect amount of solitude in order to truly appreciate the nature around you.

I found this spot in a park next to the Trinity River late Sunday afternoon. I watched as the sun set behind the interstate. reflecting off the water and setting the park under a muted orange glow. I watched cars periodically scroll by on the overpass, and I heard more whizzing by on University behind me. People walked, jogged, ran, and biked on the trail in front of me, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in groups.

I sat in a pile of freshly fallen leaves. They crackled every time I shifted. The ground was littered in light green, yellow, orange, and brown. I smelled fall and a whiff of impending rain. This aspect of the scene was strange to me. Being from Kentucky, I'm used to fall in October, not in December. Still, it was nice to be in the presence of the seasonal change, regardless of when it was happening.

The small train track in front of me confounded me. Why was it there? Where was it leading to? What tiny vehicle rode along it? I had so many questions, yet I was so content with it, as well. Amidst everything that was changing around it, from the leaves to the people to the cars, this train track remained, unmoved, seemingly unused. There was something quaint and calming about it.

And then, of course, there was the river. I watched it from afar for some time, seeing how the sun and the signs from the restaurants reflected off it in different patterns. I watched its gentle flow; sometimes, it seemed that the river was completely still. As I prepared to leave, I stood up and walked down to the river. There was a place where the river dropped off, with water cascading in small waterfalls down a slanted wall of rock. I walked down that spot and watched the ripples for a moment. When I turned away, I saw two creatures gliding about. At first, I thought these creatures were ducks; once I moved closer, I found that they were actually otters. I thought this was strange, two otters dancing about in, basically, urban water. But then, there was something uplifting about it. These two creatures were oblivious to everything around them. They swam around each other for a spell, then drifted in separate directions. I left them as they parted, but somehow I knew they would come back together again.

I was still thinking about the sun, the cars, the leaves, the train track, the river, and the otters as I parked my car and walked back to my dorm. It's amazing what you can find when you settle down in nature for awhile, and how much what you find can impact you.