June 17th. Just when I thought Tennessee could not get any more beautiful, I came to Norris. Basically undeveloped, it is blessed with hilly trails, creeks, rivers, and a lake. I get up at 4:00 am to swim, attend training for working with dyslexic kids from 8:00-4:30, and run through the trails for an hour or two in the evening. Somedays, like today, I skip the running and go to bed at 4:00pm. The weekends are spiritual. I swim above Norris Dam for more than two hours and then get straight onto the trails for ten or twelve miles. To swim in the cool waters of Norris Lake is cleansing. On the trails, the deer gracefully run across my path and then look back as if to taunt me for my slow, clumsy stride. Last Saturday a hawk took flight from the tree above me shaking loose a dead branch that fell behind me. The trails take me by the river below the dam. In the hot summer heat, a cooling breeze blows off the river. Sometimes I trip on a rock or a root. Last week I tripped and rolled through poison ivy. Then a bug flew up my nose...I had to get it out. Today I am scratching, but thankfully not in my nose. I don't mind the poison ivy. It is all part of the nature. This morning, I got up at 4:00 to swim at the local health center. The indoor track was full of people walking/running where they did not have to worrry about rocks, roots, poison ivy, squirrels, deer, or hawks. A seemingly emotionless workout. And I swam in a pool limited by walls, with hair balls and used corn pads on the bottom, but free of pollutants and wildlife. Which brings me to my swim...nothing man designs, builds, creates or produces can compare to the miracles of nature. Never has, never will. It is much easier to exercise irresponsibility than responsibility. As Socrates said, "An ignorant man does not know what he holds in his hands until he has flung it away." I take responsibility and challenge everyone to reduce, reuse, and think before you act. It is a simple question to ask before acting, "Does this act have a positive or negative effect on the River?" If the answer is negative, then is it truly worth it? Take care, mimi