River

I baptized myself today. In the cold tumbling water of the Molalla River, I doused myself to the shoulders and said a prayer of grounding. I haven't been out in the woods for longer than I care to admit but, today, I made it back to the woods and to an elemental place in my being.

At my wife's prompting, I took the day off today and just took care of myself. I slept in until 10 am, woke up and played with Shea, had lunch out with Tracy and Shea and then took a four hour drive out into the Molalla Hills south of where I live. It was a great idea (thanks, Tracy).

I used to take drives out into this area all the time, once or twice a week, just to get out into the open air and to throw rocks into the river and I can't even remember when the last drive was. I went by myself, a condition I prefer these days, and found a quiet spot between two bends in the river. The day was warm but not hot and the sun shone through a spattering of grey clouds that served more as shade than omen of rain.

I sat down on the banks of the river and read Ron Carlson's "Keith" and then just listened to the sound of water falling over rocks. The water flowed over the rocks and where it slid over the top and fell through the air before joining the main flow, I imagined that I was small and could live in the air bubble between the rock and the falling water, that my view would be the rainbow spectrum of light through water.

The day ended with a stop in to see some old friends and now it looks like pizza and a movie with Tracy and I will end the day. I'm glad I took a moment to listen to the water and bathe in its frigid purity.