Page 111 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

Now I can’t fully describe the feeling you get when you have been the only one to count on,
talk to, listen to and do the routines of paddling solo down a river, but it’s like a long lost

friend, a huge sense of relief, an excitement and adrenaline rush all rolled into one.

WHY DOESN”T MATTER, YOU’RE JUST GLAD TO SEE SOMEONE

So here were two guys in a canoe and I was standing stupid in the middle of a river in northern

Minnesota grinning from ear to ear like a young man 30 years younger. In fact I did and do
have to remind myself I am 60 because I forget I am supposed to be old.

Though technically disabled I was in the best health of my life, or at least I felt like it.

“Howdy” I recall calling out my self preservation non committal greeting. It wasn’t like I did-
n’t know why there where here in the middle of nowhere, but I asked, “you headin all the way
down?”

I hadn’t perfected my “source to sea” or headwaters to gulfwaters spiel yet so I set into small
talk and they were wanting to press on but polite so we posed pictures and wrote names and of

course with my memory I have no idea who they are.

THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE

And so does the River…..