There is quite a crew of us, peace seekers I believe, who gather at the lake most days. We do not know one another, nor do we exchange words. We arrive separately, pull up to the water’s edge, and remain solitary in our cars. Allow me to introduce the crew.
The woman in the red car seems to be about my age. I like to think she has a mother’s story – a child attending class somewhere and she with a small window of time to fill. Too small a window to head home for a period of time, too large a window to run a short errand. Like me, she needs a destination, a place to fill some time. I’m guessing her lake gazing pastime of choice, based on the earbuds perpetually in her ears, is audio books. I’m envious. My husband listens to audio books in the car (although he is old school and gets CDs from the library each week). As for me, I can’t pay attention to an audio book to save my life. Podcasts on the other hand, I’m all ears. This makes no sense, I realize. Maybe I should ask the woman in the red car for some good recommendations, but that would break the no contact code of us weekday lake dwellers.
There is the ambulance driver who takes his break at the lake. He is in full uniform, fishing pole in hand. He has no boat with him, just the water’s edge. He stands on the rocky shore and casts over and over and over again. I’m fascinated. The patience of a fisherman is unlike anything else. To me, the only reward for fishing would be the promise of a good meal, but around here most people do not eat the fish from our unclean waters. So, you see a lot of catch and release. I may not see the appeal in that, but ambulance driver sure does. I imagine the respite is much needed given his intense line of work.
In the silver car, the most adorable grandfather and grandson duo that you ever did see. They arrive about once or twice a week. This visit has to be a highlight for both of them. Grandson appears to be about two years old, and he is over the moon for his grandpa. I mean, lake dates! They move slowly, exploring the shore, looking for rocks and critters in the water, letting sand run through their fingers. Grandpa seems to have all the time in the world, as grandparents often do. Sometimes they arrive back at the car with the little boy dripping wet, or with muddy shoes. But they just roll with it, brush it off and move on. The memories are too good for a little dirt to ruin the fun. I bet that little boy sleeps hard in the afternoon.
Binoculars guy pulls up in his pickup truck, and immediately places his lake viewing device to his eyes. What fascinates me about him, is that he always looks in the same direction, no matter if the view is nothing but water and trees, or if it is filled with brightly colored kayaks and fishermen. It doesn’t matter, he is interested in straight ahead, nothing else. I’m so tempted to ask what he is observing, but that would require interaction and as mentioned above, it is a violation of the lake crew code.
To me, the most intriguing of our crew is the guy who pulls up most days around 10:30 with a bag of piping hot fast food, he is dressed in full camo outfit, and pop music is playing on the radio. He conducts business calls on his phone that sound awfully professional. Like, really professional. And he always tells the person he is talking to that he is on his way to the office, or the next appointment, etc. He never tells them he is lakeside enjoying his burrito with a little Taylor Swift on the airwaves, and the most beautiful view he’ll see all day, right in front of him.
And finally there is me, the mom who is reminded daily that the hard work of parenting is still all hands on deck. That perhaps I had one foot out the door prematurely as I watched my daughter mature so incredibly over the last year. She is swiftly moving toward her eighteenth birthday. Maybe I figured she was about to fly, and needed me less. But driving her to class five days a week and aiding her through the college application process (I AM the school guidance counselor/adviser, it turns out) was the message I needed to remember that this parenting chapter is not over yet. That of course, it never really is. So I come to the lake several time each week to study. It is only a few miles from her campus, which makes it easy on the gas budget and schedule. And when I need to move around a bit, there are hiking trails right here, and several others close by. This is my year to cherish, after all. Maybe I was losing sight of that? Well, no longer. Thankfully, my work here is not done. The lake provides a perfect backdrop to pause, ponder, and reflect on that. We could all use a place like that. It can be difficult to routinely get away, but having a spot close to your daily travels where you can pull over for a short spell… this lake crew member highly recommends it.