The Mississippi River near Minneapolis at night.I live in the city, and--I am fortunate--near the banks of one of the world's great rivers. Though I love urban life and all its charms, the cultural diversity, the entertainments, the cuisine, the museums and attractions, the generally "progressive" set of mind of my fellow city dwellers, etc., my deepest feeling of connection is found in nature...well, more specifically in wilderness. But wilderness is obviously not included in the list of urban advantages.
When I can't get to nature any other way, I go for refuge to the thin strips of woodlands, the parklands, the myriad of trails that have been left along the banks of the great river that flows through this city. And most often there, I can be alone with nature for a few hours. It is not wilderness; I still hear the city sounds, and one has to really work to find the few spots where some form of human made structure or activity is not in view upon the opposite bank, but it is the best I can do here, and it is good. I used the word "refuge" above, and that is what the river has become to me.
I have told myself that I would make a "discipline" if you will, of going to the river. Like morning workouts, meditation, and eating simple healthy food, I need a "regular practice" of time spent in nature for the health of my mind/body/spirit/being. There is work and responsibilities, etc., etc., and a day or two goes by. A day or two turns into a week. A week turns into two or three weeks....
I must renew my "discipline" of going to the river. For me, if I cannot hear the earth speaking to me...then I have nothing to speak myself. In the introduction to the anthology The Earth Speaks, editor Steve Van Matre writes,
"Sometimes all that is necessary for hearing the earth's voice is just to getout of our boxes...we desperately need to put aside our human acquaintances fora while (and yes, our books too) and go away from the world of words to communicate on a different level."
I'll share more of Van Matre's thoughts tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a date with the river....
What is there about rivers -- especially the great ones: the Mississippi, the Missouri, the St. Lawrence, the Thames, the Elbe, the Seine ... They have life of their own, a life shared with humanity as well as the natural world. I am in awe of rivers, so much more approachable than oceans, I think.
ReplyDeleteWow Barbara, well said. I think "approachable" is a good word.
ReplyDeleteIn "A River Runs Through It," Norman Maclean wrote "I am haunted by waters." (Note to self: Blog about this soon.) He had a particular river in mind, Montana's Blackfoot.
River's bear the stamp of the land and the bioregion. They are "homewaters." As you said so well, they have "a life shared with humanity as well as the natural world." This is why they have always been such connecting points, such magnets....
Thanks for the thought provocation there, Barbara. :)
Yes, I found the thought that rivers are more approachable intriguing as well.
ReplyDeleteYour post made me wonder, A, how many places there are left in the deep, deep countryside or wilderness, where there are absolutely no noises or lights from human living. Very few in Britain, I suspect, because we are such a small country, so close to each other.
And getting fewer here too, Tess. We have to find it and preserve it where we can. Thanks for chiming in. :)
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