Brien Carr - Up or Down Creek? - Annie Dillard

In the third section of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" Dillard speaks about watching the creek from the banks and refers to herself as a "creek watcher." She talks about how one is prone to look downstream and see the path that the water flows and examine that which seems to be the new and the upcoming. Then she poses a slightly different thought. If you turn around and look at the water as it comes, maybe that is the "new." "The future is a spirit... heading my way," states Dillard. This idea is very intriguing to me. If one alters his perspective and looks the other direction, everything changes. Simply as an observer, or a "creek watcher," it is easy to examine where the creek is going, because this fact never changes. However, it is more difficult and interesting to instead think of where the creek is coming from. The path as it comes downstream is much more difficult to define as there are many obstacles that are now noticed. As an analogy for life, if one would pay more attention to where their life comes from and what has affected it in its journey downstream, it may be easier to understand where it is headed.

At the same time, wouldn't it be more invigorating to jump in the creek and be swept away, rather than just observing it from the shore? Although this may seem more exciting, it also sound foolish and inprudent. One should master the art of "creek watching" before attempting to master the art of creek exploration, because life, like a creek, is very unpredictable and may turn into rough waters very quickly.