Stephen Payseur

Reflections from the Creek Stephen Payseur

In Lessons From the Creek, I recounted my meeting with a somewhat enigmatic character named Josh. It was a pleasant meeting, uplifting, unsettling, and quite a bit of fun actually. That book was part fact and part fiction, and I still refuse to tell which parts are which. Keep in mind, once again, that the parts that a "normal" person would think are true, and others that would seem totally made up, may not be that way at all. Some of the "fiction" sounding events actually did happen, while some of the more mundane ones are simply a figment of my imagination. This book, Reflections from the Creek, is similar. It is part fact and part fiction and again, I will let the reader figure out what parts I made up and what parts actually happened. Keep in mind that some of the parts that seem like fiction are actually fact, and some of those that are hard to believe are actually true. Some of them have true and false elements mixed together. As before, some of the names and locations have been changed to conceal who and where they are. Reflections from the Creek recounts other times that I was fortunate enough to spend time with Josh. As you might have guessed, these also took place on unnamed creeks somewhere in the southeastern United States. I guess I should confess that I have had many of these trips with my friend, Josh. Most of them have been, at least on my part, an accidental meeting. I can't speak for him. On all of them, I have learned something about him, but most importantly about myself. I really think that is the skill, or art if you will, of any visit with Josh. It's not so much what he says or does, even though that plays a large part. It is more about how it has encouraged me to think about how and why I do certain things. The story you are about to read is a continuation of my encounters with what I consider to be a remarkable person in an equally remarkable setting. Whether it is the person or the setting that makes all the difference, I can't say. I can say that it is entirely remarkable as I look back on the experiences. I have learned a lot from Josh, and in this book he takes his lessons to me even further.