#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Charles River, Sunset Reflection

This morning, up early, my body said, let’s jog. So, Suzi came part of the way, and Charlie and I let her retire early, and we kept going. It was hot, but we we were happy. He went for a dip in the Charles halfway through our run. I tripped twice on tree roots, fell once, recovered quickly. Hazards of trail runs. I woke with an idea about the poetry collection I’m working on. An idea popped into my consciousness half awake, and I was eager to work on that, and so when I got home I worked on the collection for an hour before two clients. The afternoon, I took off. I am mentoring a client, a woman writer, who is trying to find her way into trusting her voice, her imagination and instincts. Today she told me how incredibly helpful it is to her, to be listened to. Yes. For all of us. To have someone nurturing who wants to listen deeply to what we have to say. I took the afternoon off with my daughters. The last two weekends, preparing for, and then attending, the writing intensive, this took me away from family time. And so I felt an extra happiness today, to slip into off time. They found a baby swing advertised in the Next Door app, and so we had to set off to the next time to purchase it and take it home A bargain, and they were giddy with it. Then off for a swim at my friend’s dock with the girls in the fresh but warm pond. I kept feeling the relaxation of a summer day with a big event behind me, and the satisfaction, too. We all ate on the deck, and my daughter and husband decided to go fishing on the river and urged me to come. I resisted, tired after my run and swim. I thought I would let them go, I feared the mosquitos of dusk and thought I didn’t have the energy to paddle. Then, I just changed my mind. It turns out we all went. In my own kayak, I paddled between the clouds in the sky and their reflection on the river. What a peaceful, warm, still and calm revelation of an evening. A great blue heron followed us up and down the river, and the beavers were busy crossing back and forth. A very slight breeze, and barely a rippled on the green surface. Yes. Yes. Yes. I’m grateful to have said yes. Because as soon as I was on the surface of the water and put my paddle in, the energy rushed into me. And I felt one with the river and was glad.

Charles River Evening

Great Blue Heron in flight over the Charles River