A Canoe for an Office

When I think of childhood I imagine running through farm fields, climbing trees and swimming in a mucky pond full of leeches and snapping turtles.  My warmest memories smell like rain, fresh cut hay and pine sap.  Years later, these are still what I hold dearest. 

After growing up and moving off my childhood farm, I still feel that same affinity with nature.  Now, nothing can replace the sense of peace and stability I feel when I am outside.  All my hobbies are glorified excuses to be outdoors.  I love biking, hiking, lounging in my hammock and playing guitar in the company of tall trees and sunshine.  It is not so much about what I am doing, but where I am doing it.  Some of my favorite afternoons have been spent reading by the river and getting distracted by passing ducks and geese.  Recently this has turned into a fascination with all birds.  Once I started listening for their calls, I started to notice their colors everywhere.  Swooping, darting, soaring and always chattering, birds inhabit a secretive bustling world which I have only begun to notice. 

It’s the energy of the birds and the serenity of the trees that made me love nature, and ultimately want to study and protect it.  That is where water research comes in.  Water is the most essential and precious component of life, yet it is often under threat.  As a lover of nature, it feels only natural to study water.  It is so bound to life that it is impossible to study or preserve ecosystems without it.

  This summer I have found that researching water has its set of perks.  Our study sites are only accessible via canoe, which provides a great excuse to paddle and explore.  It is an amazing moment when your job and interests intersect and you find yourself doing things you love.  I had this moment last week when we went out to the field for the first time this summer.  We paddled our canoe across a lake amidst a gloomy drizzle and portaged around a dam in the hopes of finding a patch of wild rice we weren’t sure existed.  When we finally managed to get back afloat on the other side, we found ourselves in a beautiful inlet.  Green shoots of wild rice protruded from the water like a delicate carpet.  A turtle head bobbed just above the surface before dipping back into the pool.  Two brown juvenile bald eagles perched in the feathery branches of the white pine above us.  For a moment, the river felt like an oasis from the pollution and noise of everyday life.

This is where I find harmony between my passion and work.