Peace

 I went kayaking alone today.

I took the lighter of the two kayaks, (which I can lift onto the car rack myself), and headed for my favorite spot.  Carried it down to the creek, got in, and pushed off.

I can't even begin to describe the feeling of calm and peace that came over me as soon as I floated out into the middle of the water. 

It was late afternoon, and the reflection of the sky and trees on the water surrounded me. 

It was breathtaking.

I tried to capture it in pictures, but as pretty as they are, they really don't do it justice.

Nor do they give you the full sense of what it was like to smell the water, hear the birds and frogs and crickets, or feel the breeze on my face. 

I paddled to a small stream nearby and floated through a tunnel.  The tunnel was made of corrugated steel, and the lines running down the sides were reflected as zigzags in the dark, rippling water.  I was surrounded, above and below, with these surreal lines.

 Paddling back upstream, I spent some time exploring the other bank.  I saw some turtles sunning themselves.  When I approached, they plopped into the water and swam away.  Likewise, a blue heron took off as I got close, looking like something huge and majestic and prehistoric, and calling out with a raspy croak that sounded prehistoric as well. 

The blue herons are my favorite.  They're just plain weird.

I parked myself in some floating plants, which kept me from drifting downstream for a while.  Then, I just sat and breathed and watched and listened, soaking it all up. 

I didn't want to leave.

It was a perfect way to get away and think and meditate and just clear my head. 

Thinking I might go again tomorrow.