North Woods River Runner: A Mosaic Tapestry

I’ve been mulling over the idea of mosaic structures for the last few days. A mosaic art form of random and diversified pieces of interest arranged to create a picture of life itself. The instructor I had throughout my Master’s Degree often talked about life as a tapestry, in which individual threads were woven within the fabric. Those threads and broken shards of ceramic or glass are intricacies that make us who we are. And those intricacies of course hold both the brilliant facets as well as the whispered pieces we like to keep private or secret. Therefore, some of it is visible, and some of it is hidden behind other, more prominent aspects that are in the forefront. Together our lives are synergistic in the way that the parts together construct the whole of our existence.

I’ve heard it said that our lives are metaphorically composed of seasons, blended into foundational stories that create us. It’s probably a bit more simple than that for me. I just love the seasons. I love the winter for the air’s crispness and the chance to measure yourself with the elements of cold, wind, and snow. I love the spring for the air’s freshness and the newness of life rising up from the roots, a personification of what we often term as second chances. I love the summer for the air’s warmth and the opportunity to cast a line, or dive into liquid water. I love the autumn for the air’s pungent smell, and the hint of change as plants die back into dormancy and living organisms hunker down before the return of winter.

Each season has its draw and purpose, and as a life-long resident of the Great Lakes Region, it’s ingrained into the very fibers of my DNA. Regardless of the seasons, I run, read, and am outside as often as possible. I like to spend time on my own, but I also enjoy spending time with family, and friends; these days seemingly from a safe distance, out-of-doors, or on Zoom.

Yesterday, with the deep snow we’ve had this winter season, my dog Kora and I headed into the woods on snowshoes after meeting up with my friends Justin and Scott. We enjoyed talking and working hard trudging along through the bottomlands of a local river. We’ve done this sort of thing enough times over the years that when we set up our day camp to cook brunch, we all get to work on the chores necessary to complete a successful trip. It was good food, beautiful scenery, and great to have to use our snowshoes; especially on the doorstep of another storm as we added another eight inches of snow to the accumulation last night. (pictures of our trip to the woods below)

When I got home from our outing adventure yesterday, I put a whole chicken in the oven, took a walk with my wife Cindy, and then laid down for a quick nap. I also made the decision to get my long run in for the weekend, and ran 10 miles; finishing as the first of the storm’s flakes began to fall. After cleaning up, I pulled meat from the baked chicken and added it to noodles and a creamy mushroom sauce that Cindy had prepared. It was a perfect meal to eat while sitting and relaxing together after a busy day.

When I reflect on days like yesterday, I picture those mosaic works of art, or the tapestries of woven threads, and see clearly the aspects that make me who I am. Sometimes I jump into adventures or interests when the opportunities present themselves. At other times I think I push myself from activity to activity until I don’t have a lot of energy left, simply as a way to deal with stress. For some reason this process is relaxing to me and restful; whether it’s voraciously reading through a book, completing a long distance run, or snowshoeing the winterland.

May you find the venues that make you tick, and that are a part of the larger mosaic or tapestry of your life.

See you along The Way...