I’m sitting here on the bank of the Green River, by a Ferry that is currently “out of order” because the water in the river is too low for it to properly operate, waiting for my husband to appear somewhere in the horizon in his bright orange kayak. His birthday is tomorrow, and his gift from me was a zip line/kayak trip package down in the Mammoth Cave area. He completed the zip line portion this morning – “It was a BLAST”, he told me – and this afternoon, he’s enjoying (I hope) a lazy time down the river – stopping off for lunch in a cozy cove along the way.
My husband is a people person, and I’m wondering how he’s doing on this 3 hour trip all by himself. I can easily imagine him paddling through the beautiful scenery, singing at the top of his lungs some song from the 50s or 60s, or perhaps he’s making conversation with a fish that jumped a little too close to his kayak. One thing I know for sure… he is not puttering along this peaceful, quiet, tranquil river in silence. That is not his style. Funny thing is – he was a loner growing up… always quiet.
Me, on the other hand… I don’t think I’ve said two words since I dropped him off this morning. (Not even when the 2 inch spider almost climbed over my bare foot a couple of minutes ago!) I’ve not always been that way, though... When I was younger, I was never quiet - ask my mom. LOL. (I would recite the appropriate commercials in each aisle at the grocery store for her.) Anyway, I’ve enjoyed just sitting here on this bank today… thinking.
Several years ago, I attended a Silent Retreat with a woman from my church. We spent the weekend with 13 other women, and from Friday night until Sunday morning, we didn’t speak to anyone. We had no televisions, no radios, no cell phones, etc. I was very apprehensive going into that retreat - and I have to be honest, it was kinda weird eating a meal with a group of people and not saying a word… you could hear everything; like your knife going across your bread when you’re buttering it or your lips smacking every time your mouth opens and closes - but when Sunday morning came, I didn’t want to go home! It was an amazing experience. Since then, I really have been able to enjoy days like today.
But, I know my husband isn’t wired like me… so, here I sit, looking around the bend of Green River, nervously waiting for that orange kayak. Realistically, I know I shouldn’t worry. Plus, I know I'll hear him long before I ever see him… lol!
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