Sometimes you just have to get away from the daily grind, out into the quiet of nature. While I usually take one or two of my dogs and go for a walk along Cumberland River, this time I joined a friend on a two-hour boat cruise on the very same water way that influences my life so deeply.

What a difference to see the same scenery floating on the water as opposed to walking along a greenway next to the riverbank. Especially the Cumberland subsidiaries, such as Brush River or Sam's Creek, offer treasured views of birds and scenery. No wonder professionals working in high-stress situations day in and day out take to fishing one of the many creeks in the Tennessee river system.

We're watching three deer grasing off some water plants while standing knee deep in a swamp-like creek. Herons are flying up disturbed by our little cruise, a wild goose hides behind low-hanging trees and bushes, a single seagull circles above seemingly lost, turtles slide quickly from the rocks they have selected to catch the last sunrays of the day. All the while vultures glide high above our heads waiting for that road kill, which they know will unfailingly happen along the two-lane road connecting Ashland City with Nashville.