I’m back in my hometown for a visit. It’s 13° C and feels so much like spring, although we are still in den midst of February. I finish my computer work early and head out into the sun. In Sweden, I’m outside every day multiple times. Here, it is just easy to forget.
I leave my family’s house and follow the road down to the river. Not just the birds are happy. There are a lot of people with their bikes on this Friday afternoon, sitting on one of the many benches to soak in the warm beams.
I walk closer to the edge, like we always did as kids. When we were young, we joked about not falling into the water, or we would come out with three eyes and arms because of the industrial park nearby.
We nevertheless always went directly to the edge. The river had a pull on us. One summer, a friend from elementary school showed me how to look for little river shrimp, where they would hide, and how to catch them. He always took them back home.
On weekends, my dad would get out the old motorboat, and we sped up and down the river. How I loved being in charge of operating the manual locks we had to get through – always a little scared I would fall into the water.
I think at no point were we actually in the river. It was never considered safe because of the industry around. We came only close to it during high water when, equipped with rubber boots, we explored the waters that flowed over playgrounds, sidewalks, and up to the old toll gate.
As an adult, my relationship to the river changed into cycling along, stopping at cafes or grabbing a Döner after work to watch the sunset over Frankfurt’s skyline.
Now I’m here again. I sneak through the pollard willows and shrubs to sit by the water. As close as possible until I can hear the smallest waves flowing over pebble stones and can see through the surface, looking for movement.
Time stops.
Can I imagine a time when people and animals alike drank safely from these waters? Can I imagine a moment where we would just jump into it to refresh or play without being scared or concerned?
When I sit by my river, I want exactly this for every kid in the near and distant future.
This is why I do what I do.
