It was 46 degrees and the few inches of snow beneath my feet was soft and slushy. The sky was typical; a Midwestern hazy blue. The winter sun was low on the horizon and shining brightly just above the treetops. The birds seemed to be singing more melodically. Were they happy about the warmth? If I were a bird I suspect I would have been singing a happy tune on this beautiful day. I was happy about breathing in some warm air for a change. It didn’t burn my lungs; it felt soft. I took a few deep breaths to soak it in.
I was hiking to a place along the river where several large Sycamore trees stand. In the Spring, Yellow-throated Warblers nest within their canopy. I like to go there to listen for warblers and sit on the gravel bed on the inside bend of the river. When I arrived at the bend I found one of the Sycamores laying across the river; a victim of natural erosion and an undercut bank. Beside the tree in the snow were three separate tracks made by a rabbit, goose and deer. The deer had laid down along the river and melted the snow down to the gravel. I put my pack chair down where the deer had laid. I considered smoking a cigar. I patted myself down looking for my lighter and soon realized I had forgotten it at home. There would be no cigar today.
I work inside a Federal Prison. I’ve worked there for twenty-two years. It’s a good job and steady paycheck, but it’s starting to wear on me like the river wears on the bank beneath the old Sycamore trees. Every year a little bit more sand washes out from beneath my roots. One thing that has been bothering me recently is having to remove all my gear from my pack before carrying it into work the next day. The gear I take into the woods is not allowed inside the prison. Sometimes I forget to put things back in my pack before I head out on my next hike. Sometimes I find myself sitting alongside a river silently cursing because I forgot to pack something. It’s a really minor issue I know. But the river of time is relentless and little things have a way of wearing you down in imperceptible ways. But, I wasn’t ready to fall across the river. I went to REI later that night and bought a new pack. Problem solved. It’s these tiny victories that I celebrate on a daily basis.
The Heron 