Reflecting on the River

This class has provided me with opportunities to do things I would not have done on my own, including visiting the Trinity on my own free time. Before taking this course, I had only been to the Trinity once before and it actually held a bad memory for me as I associated it with a past relationship I am no longer in. I was a little skeptical of returning to the river but with my best friend accompanying me for the first trip, I kept an open mind.

The weather was perfect for our outing to the river; a bright blue sky, sunny with some light, wispy clouds in the sky and a cool breeze. We parked by a trail down to the water because I wanted to experience the river from the water, not from a bench on the hill above the river bank. The trail led straight to the river and we walked across the water on an island of rocks to find the perfect spot to sit and reflect upon. We sat a few rocks apart from each other to allow us the space to individually reflect before we regrouped and talked about how we were each experiencing the river. 

Although I hadn't brought my camera to the river, I was in awe of its beauty on this sunny day so I improvised and captured it on my iPhone camera. For the first few minutes I was on my rock, I was seeing the river through a photographer's perspective; which angle would capture the water running through the rocks the best, how close to the surface of the water could I place my phone to capture the reflections of the water. I love the way my mind works when I am trying to capture a moment on camera because I see things differently and often notice things I normally wouldn't. While looking at the river through my camera lens (aka my iPhone 5 screen), I noticed how the green hue of the river wasn't as unattractive as I originally thought, it actually contrasted well with the bright green grass on the river banks. As it flowed over the rocks and cascaded down them, the water was crystal clear and mimicked the sound of rain or a small waterfall. Looking at the water through my camera gave me the opportunity to appreciate the Trinity's natural beauty, something I don't usually take the time to do.

Sitting on the Trinity was such a peaceful and serene experience and I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I am not one to sit with my thoughts and reflect but I found myself doing exactly that on the river. I was thinking back to our reading in The Big Thirst and realizing how lucky we are to live so close to water. I can't even begin to imagine how my life would be affected if my access to water was suddenly cut off. If we no longer had a dependable water supply or easy access to a body of water, our lives would immediately be centered around what we would have to do to get water. It would drastically change the way we live and our priorities in life. Becoming aware of this made me appreciate our river, a body of water that we disregard and degrade so often, so much more.