Take me to the river

 

Take me to the river

This works for me. It really does. I have been tossing my attachments log into the Ohio River for at least five years now. It surprised me when I checked on the archives of the blog to see that I had only posted about it one other time.  Perhaps because it is almost too personal a ritual for me. The history baked into it starts closer to ten years ago. In fact, I know there is a paper attached to the log from close to thirty years ago. Maybe that is the point. If it were easy to post about, to toss it all away, then why do it at all?

The river takes it away

When the river moves on past me, it only brings with it what it can carry.  What it doesn’t have the energy or inclination to bring with it that day, the river leaves on the shore in the form of drift logs.

I find one there each year. On random days throughout the following year, I tape, glue, or staple mementoes of the year, or years past, onto it. My young adult kids and I take a long weekend every year at the same cabin on the river every summer. One of mornings when the river seems most calm and receptive, I do a bit of yoga, a short meditation and toss the attachments log as for into the river as I can. It then then moves off downriver. Works for both of us.

A trip to the river every year

This year I have taped a page of the interior design of my upcoming novel to my attachments log. The book comes out June 15th. I must say that it is an attractive cover and the interior design is just as enticing. I would even say that the interior design on The Trier was one of the revelations to me in bringing The Trier to market. I now know what interior design is. But it had to go.

It had to go so I can keep on writing. So I can move on to the next book in the series. So I can not become distracted by possible sales. So, I don’t allow yesterday to clog, block, or take anything out of today.

In order to it all to work, I put mementoes of all types of things on the log. Kroger receipts, reminders, copies of appointment confirmations, some going as far back one for my oldest son who will be thirty in a few months.  To the river, all these are the same.

If you don’t believe me, take a look at the photo below. The attachments log is a dot in the middle of the picture.