Picnics and Mysterious Floating Objects

{River Reflection 2}

I’ve known my best friend since I was five-years-old.  She’s in most of my pictures and memories.  As are our two other friends that we met at 9-years of age.  Please excuse my cheesiness when I say that these three girls mean more to me than anything and have contributed to making me who I am today. (cheesiness over)  On September 21, we all decided to venture to the Trinity River with a picnic in celebration Katelyn’s 20^th birthday. 

There’s something peaceful about being near the water catching up on life with close friends.  It was our first time all together since April and we had a lot to update each other on.  We sat under a bridge atop our blankets with our picnic foods and a decent view of the downtown skyline at sunset. 

What I noticed most about our spot on the Trinity was how many other people had found themselves in the same place on the same day.  There were multiple birthday parties and bike riders and small family gatherings and people strolling down by the riverside.  All were from different walks of life, different ages and experiences, yet we all found ourselves by the Trinity River at sunset with a clear view of Fort Worth.

Even though we often complain and joke about how dirty and contaminated the Trinity River is, it amazes me how it is still brings people together.  It’s as if the calm, but somewhat green, waters of the Trinity has a power over us that draws us near to it.  Everyone near the Trinity River seemed to be in a good mood.

We ate our sandwiches under the bridge and talked about what had changed in our lives since starting our sophomore year of college.  I’ve often recognized that when I’m with them, three of the most important people in my life, everything just feels right and it was no different that day on the river watching the sunset and listening to the laughter of children in a nearby bounce house.  It felt like one of those exaggerated scenes in a movie, where everyone is happy and there’s an eerie calm because things seem too good to be true and you know at any moment things are going to start going downhill.

But sometimes reality is better than the movies.  And I almost wish I could say that that was when a giant alligator came out of the water and stole the rest of our picnic or that the birthday girl suddenly fell into the water (probably catching some water borne disease) to make this a more exciting story.  But while there were mysterious floating objects that we think were a couple of turtles, it was one of those blissful moments.

I’m thankful for the Trinity and for the sense of community it brings to the place I call home.  And I’m thankful for the friends who make home a group of people rather than a place.  Like with friendships that we must intentionally take care of and develop, we must take care of our river.  Because honestly, I don’t know what those mysterious floating objects were, but there’s a good chance they weren’t turtles.