Natural Setting #2

The River

My home rests on a bank of the Shenandoah River, across from a public boat landing. During the summer, I often walk to the river and experience the diverse activity of river life. Each day and hour presents a different environment. The river can be quiet and abandoned, offering only the activity of wildlife and the rushing water. At other times, it is overflowing with old men fishing silently on the bank, young children splashing in the water, families enjoying a picnic on the shore, and groups kayaking, canoeing, or tubing past. Even in these chaotic moments of activity, the river creates a dampening effect on the noise and movement. Everything seems to slow from the regular activity of the city. The sun warms you to a lazy lull and life loses the sense of urgency as thoughts seem to drift away with the current. The river provides a sense of community, a shared space where people come together to appreciate the beauty of nature. 

When I was young, I was certain that I would move to a city when I grew up. The slowness of the country and the lack of urban activities often left me bored. As I grew, however, I began to appreciate nature, and gradually came to depend on it. When I came to school, I realized how much I hated distancing myself from the hills, mountains, and rivers of home. Nature provides me with clarity, relief, and comfort; when I return to the valley, I am so eager to rediscover my santuary by the river and in the forests, surrounded by nature.