The River

I drove down to the river this morning and sat for a while there on the bank. It's a place where the Warrior is deep and it's the color of jade. I saw all kinds of wildlife - a crane, a muskrat, and a bass that looked as if it could swallow my truck.
I sat under the shade of a giant white oak and watched leaves drift slowly by. I could hear the sound of tree frogs singing their autumn songs. I love the sights, sounds and smells of the river. It seems so timeless. Off in the distance I heard the sound of an outboard motor and I watched as two fishermen slowly made their way past me in a small john-boat. One man looked towards the bank and saw me sitting there and he waved a friendly greeting before turning his face forward to watch for logs and other debris that is common to those waters. I broke off a stem from small three that had fallen nearby and chewed on it as I contemplated the mysteries of life.
I find it hard to believe that it is already September 1st. It seems that this year has flown by. When I was younger it seemed that time dragged but that's probably because I was always waiting for something - waiting until I was sixteen so that I could get my drivers license; waiting until I graduated from high school; waiting until I got drafted; and waiting until I got out of the Army. During those years time moved slower than cold molasses but those days are gone now. In the blink of an eye blocks of your life have scooted by and you have to think hard to remember where you spent your time.
But there is one good thing about September- college football season kicks off today and hopefully it will be a good year for The Tide.