There is something soothing about the sound of running water. As the elixir of life barrels over itself from mountains to sea the air inherits a freshness. Luckily for us, bordering one side of our neighborhood is a small river. A well-flowing creek keeps the water circulating in a near-by pond . Ice still covers much of this tree-lined pond, but the ducks still find space to dunk their heads, and search for food.
To us, this bit of nature is a respite from a city’s chaos. We have lived in Berlin, Munich, Phoenix..all cities with an abundance of movement and healthy populations. Even our former neighborhood in Zurich was suburban but dense–a view of a tree was enough to be considered experiencing “nature.” A meeting with a few (Swiss) neighbors yesterday gave glimpse at how our pond and river-rich neighborhood once was, before “change” moved in.