River Reflection 2

            During my first river reflection, I observed the Trinity during the daylight hours.  This time, I decided to observe the sunset on the Trinity and get a new perspective of the river during the night hours. 

            After my first river reflection, I was a little disgusted by the Trinity and depressed about how polluted the body of water is.  Reading The Big Thirst helped me realize the importance of preserving water and keeping water clean and usable for future generations.  Rather than looking at a river as being at the point of no return, I should take measures to help clean up the Trinity.

            During the first half hour of my time at the Trinity, I decided that I wanted to try and clean it up a little bit.  I brought some trash bags and gloves with me, and I picked up and disposed of all the garbage within my area.  While this small act probably did not have a huge impact on the river, I like to think that it made the Trinity somewhat cleaner.

            I then decided to sit down and watch the sunset.  I was surprised at how beautiful the Trinity looked at night.  While I was sitting there, a family of ducks crossed in front of me.  There was also a turtle swimming in the river that would occasionally stick its head out of the water.

            To the right of where I was sitting, there was a family having a picnic dinner.  The three kids were playing catch right near the river, and at one point they accidentally threw their baseball into the river and had to get their dad to help them retrieve it.  The family then sat down for dinner and ate a feast of hamburgers, fruit, and salad.  They were all laughing and seemed to be having a fun family night.

            Seeing this family made me reflect on how much of our life revolves around water.  Obviously we need it to survive, but even in addition to that we are attracted to the beauty of water and love spending time near it.  Whether we choose to sit down and have a picnic near water, or go sailing, wakeboarding, or skiing, we spend so much of our lives obsessing over water.  The most popular vacation destinations, such as Hawaii, the Bahamas, and Mexico, are all admired because of the gorgeous bodies of water that surround them.

            Staring at the Trinity reminded me of times from my childhood.  Growing up, my family spent many weekends at our lake house in Delavan, Wisconsin.  Ever since I was born, I have been swimming and playing in water.  Going up to the lake house was a way for my family to escape from the business of everyday life and take time to relax and enjoy each other’s presence.  In addition to my immediate family, many of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all came to Lake Delavan to enjoy small weekend getaways and appreciate all that the lake had to offer.  Even before I got my driver’s license, when I was 12 years old, I took a class and obtained my boating license so that I could legally drive boats and spend more time on the lake.  Water has been such a huge part of my life, yet I often fail to notice the huge impact it has made on me.

            As the sun finally set on the Trinity, the people started to leave and it became very quiet.  The only thing I could hear was the humming and buzzing of the bugs.  I love the serenity of the Trinity, and appreciate the way in which it relieves so much of my stress.  Every time I go to the Trinity, I am able to relax and forget about all the problems I am having in my life.  I am so thankful to have such a major water source right next to campus, and am grateful for the opportunities I have to spend time near the river.

P.S.- Sorry for my terrible photography skills.