River Time

If nature is a mirror or a messenger, what is it showing us?

This contemplative collection weaves together nature-based mindfulness teachings through 56 original short stories and poems accompanied by 73 of the author's color photographs from the Upper Hudson River. Through mindful encounters with water lilies, wildlife, ice formations, changing seasons, a Superfund dredging project, a yearlong sunrise photography practice, and more, author and photographer Susan Meyer explores the practice of presence and the wisdom the natural world offers. River Time is a perfect gift for nature lovers and for anyone seeking peace, steadiness, and sanctuary in daily life.

Each piece invites the reader to slow down, open the senses, and connect more deeply-with nature, with the present moment, and with their own inner life. Whether recounting a dawn photography ritual, an evolving relationship with fast boats, or a missed shot that became a lesson in impermanence, these stories speak to the healing and grounding power of mindful awareness in nature. Steeped in both personal experience and universal insight, this book offers an intimate view of river life as a teacher of interconnection, equanimity, and awe. It's an invitation to return again and again to what is always available: breath, sensory impression, beauty, and the ever-changing water flowing just outside the door.