Right Around the Corner

and not too far away from my house is this river. I steal glances to my left and right every time I cross over it. Sometimes, like today, I have to stop, park, and walk back to the bridge to really see the river the way I want to. To see the way the clouds seem to hang, suspended, in the air above it, like they too don't want to leave. To see the way the trees are reflected in the water. To see the ripples from the current as it flows downstream. To imagine what it would be like to take a picnic down to the water's edge... right over there in that clearing.

When I looked down into the water I saw ten turtles sunning themselves. Then, one by one, they splashed into the water. I saw them swimming and coming up for air. I wondered if they had made plans before they jumped in. Were they planning to meet again on the other side of the bridge to sun on those rocks for a while? Or was it time to go home?

It's moments like these that stop me in my tracks and make me appreciate this world. To appreciate the everyday beauty that simply waits to be noticed. And beauty is everywhere. In the city where a lone flower may break free from the cement and stretch toward the sun. And here, in my little corner of the world, where sun-dappled rivers beckon me to stop and see.