Alongside the Stream

 

                It was a Monday, the shopping had been done and the groceries all put away. The dishes had been washed and were stacked in the drainer. My lunch had been made, the dog fed and walked and now I was on my way to work.

                I stopped at a shaded spot beside a stream and took my notebook and pen and went down to soak in some of the quiet.

                A tree stood alongside the stream with a log wedged against it. The log had been there for a couple years now. I’ve used it as a seat in the past. The tree was wrapped with debris from the last bought of high water. A board was held tight against it with a variety of sticks, weeds, paper and plastic and what looked like straw.

                The straw was wound around the tree. It looked like a bird’s nest, a bumper protecting the trunk. Tight and solid, the high waters have a way of weaving things together.

                A black winged dragonfly landed on a branch, its neon body attracting my attention. Its wings are small compared to the length of its body. They are translucent, like lace, I can see right through them when they are spread.

                I heard a splash in the stream and slowly turned my head. A young deer was standing in the water not 15 feet away. He started, startled by the movement. We looked at each other, neither one moving. Thirty seconds, seeming like minutes, past by and then he slowly backed away, turned and ran up the hill.

                I continued writing and soon heard some snorts. Turning slowly I saw his mother watching me. Standing a bit further away she watched for awhile and then with a final snort, turned and ran after her fawn.

                Beside the stream I was soothed by the sounds of the water flowing over its rocky bed. Tall stems of purple phlox were growing out of the log I was standing beside. The dragon flies showed no fear, chasing each other like children in a playground.

                I could fall asleep here if I had the time, instead I just soaked up the quiet, the solitude and all the peacefulness that nature offered me. Relaxed, I watched as the pollen slowly fell from the trees, dropping through beams of sunlight before gently dropping into the stream below, and all was well!