They Were Just Watching

The taxi driver had left me off two blocks away from where I was going. No matter. I had the luck of a beautiful day and the good fortune of being early. The walk gave me a chance to take random pictures of a neighborhood I never visit. My destination was a blogger meetup at a small restaurant on the north river.

I got some sweet pictures of flowers that brought me back to gardens I tended. I took a few shots of skies and fences, and one or two of the river through the iron railing.

When I checked at the restaurant, no one was there yet. Minutes later I got a text message saying the group would be late — by about an hour. Time for more pictures.

The light was soft. The nearby fountain was showy. The gray day meant the riverwalk was peacefully free of too many people. I stopped to sit on a stone walk while I checked my email and my blog.

When I looked up I saw a couple at the rail watching the river. They weren’t talking. They had the companionable sweet silence of two people who know each other well.

At the time, I didn’t find that particularly worth noting.

I didn’t compare their moment with where I was going.

They were watching a slow-moving river in complete relaxation — I was about to meet up with folks from the rapid river of online conversation.

Watching the rivers is as important as swimming.

Doesn’t seem we can find sweet companionable silence online.

Remember to find some time to just let the river go by.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!