The Trinity

Dr. Williams organized an excursion to go canoeing or kayaking on the Trinity River for this class (Thank you Dr. Williams by the way!). Those of us who picked Monday to go picked a great day to be outside. The weather was prime that's for sure. So, we had the choice of either getting into a canoe with a partner or a kayak by ourself. I chose a kayak because I did not really want to be going slow on the river and also I didn't feel like working in a team that day. Maddie and Sruthi grabbed a kayak as well so we could all go around together. Sruthi won too. She would want me to mention that. I had not ever kayaked before but I took a leap and did it. It's not hard to get the hang of it, but my shoulders and traps did get pretty tired as we went on. If I could kayak regularly I would have a pretty sweet upper body! Maddie, Sruthi, and I kept a pretty fast pace the whole time too for some reason. We stayed at the head of the pack for the majority of the trip. And we started off our kayaking with passionately singing Disney songs as we rowed down the river. I hope the rest of the class didn't hear us very much because we did not sound good! I'm sure y'all heard a little bit though...

Singing those good ole Disney songs from our childhood and being on a river on a beautiful day was a fantastic experience for me. Maddie mentioned at one point that that was probably a dream come true for us that we had hidden somewhere down in our inner child. I totally agree. I never knew that kayaking and singing Disney songs was a dream of mine, but I think it became one and was answered all in the same day. The best song that we sang was from Pocahontas and it was quite appropriate for us at the time. It was the "Just Around the River Bend" song. Fitting right? So basically it was a pretty dang good day.

And now thinking back on it and relating actually being on a river to "A River Runs Through It", which is the point that Dr. Williams was wanting to reach by taking the time out of class for this I'm sure, I can think of a couple things that I learned from the river. I can also relate "Just Around the River Bend" to this trip also, but I will start with "A River Runs Through It".

The rivers that Norman, Paul, and their father revered so much are a bit different than the Trinity here in Texas. Those Montana rivers are beastly compared to the Trinity. That's beside the point. God created all of the rivers and they all can bestow upon a person the same kind of awe. The river and fishing was how the Rev. Mclean reconnected with the Lord and found the topics for his sermons. His sons used the river maybe not to write a sermon, but they still were able to connect with each other and God. Kayaking with Maddie and Sruthi connected us in a way that I think could have only happened on this type of trip. On this trip, we had a goal to reach (the end point) that we had to work for in a way. We did it together and by that we learned new things about each other like Norman and Paul could do while they were fishing.

Now, a little about how the Pocahontas song was relatable for me. In the next weeks and months I will be turning a bunch of "river bends" in my life. I will be finishing my junior year, going on a cruise, then going to New York for the summer. And when I get back I am moving in with a friend in a new house. That songs just reminded me that even though we do not know what is around the bend, we should not be afraid and we should embrace what comes next.

Thanks again Dr. Williams.