Minnehaha....

Minnehaha creek runs through Minneapolis and merges with R. Mississippi around 2-3 miles from my home. The legend of Hiawatha, of "The Song of Hiawatha" fame by H W Longfellow, fell in love with this Dakota beauty, noted for her enthusiasm, bubbling spirit and laughter. By a twist of fate and fortune, I stay very close to the Minnehaha creek, the Minnehaha Falls, the Minnehaha Park, the R. Mississippi, the L. Nokomis (a motherly figure of Hiawatha), and the L. Hiawatha. Yes, this post is dedicated to the love of Hiawatha and Minnehaha.

Today, the author was in for a big wonderful surprise. There was a Fiji fest going on at the park. A garage band, gave a free concert, and entertained a meager crowd of 15-20 with jazz, rock and roll, country, and what not. The highlight of the concert, were the three lovely ladies, aged any where between 2-4, dancing and swaying to the tunes with all smiles. There were two guys dancing alone too. One of them remarked to a bewildered lady, "I am not gay. But I do like the lead guy (presumably for his vocals and guitar)".

The music was different. The very fact that people were enjoying the music, and the musicians themselves enjoying the concert despite the low turnout drove home the point of the sheer power of music. Despite not having a deep spiritual impact, it cheered the people around. Six unknown musicians, not high profile ones, who had come together, courtesy their love for music, sure did give me an invaluable lesson. Never ever discriminate between the various forms of music. It is like preferring the heart to the lungs.

There were a few couples all around the park, savoring the company of each other in silence, with the concert tunes as the background. Love was in the air. No wonder, the legendary love between Hiawatha and Minnehaha seems to have an effect at this place. It merits mention that the couples were of various ages (hmm, an obvious statement!). While there were couples who looked beautiful together (in the physical sense), the best were those old couples, who were contented being with each other (having come this far in their journey called life).

I just happened to take the stairs to watch the falls. The majestic splendor of the Falls was something so pristinely beautiful. Then the rapids in the creek, meandering across the forest, on its journey towards meeting the R. Mississippi, reminded me of this saying, "Even the weariest river ends up in the sea". The same creek, 1-2 miles westward, looks so serene and peaceful. Almost, without a ripple. One does get a lot of lessons from the water.

(PS: In short, a beautiful surprise. The only dampener was when I found a father, of two children, carrying a toddler of 4-6 months, and shamelessly puffing away on his way to a dark glory : blowing the smoke and fumes over the baby.)

PS2: Guess, the chronicles of the author of how a Friday evening was spent. An unexpected entry as a post out here.