by Erin Nicole

A few years ago, I took this picture on the campus of Richland Community College.  At the time, I liked the contrast between the tranquil campus and the harshness of the sign.  As peaceful as the creek looked and as content as the campus’s ducks may have been, there was also danger.

I took a semester at Richland and I still like to visit the campus with my camera.  As you can see in this picture, there’s a picturesque creek that runs through the campus.  Both students and ducks love the creek.  (The ducks are so popular that Richland even named its mascot the Thunderduck.)  Even those who are no longer or were never students at Richland enjoy going up to the camps and walking along the creek.  It’s impossible to look at the creek without being tempted to jump in and go for a swim.  A few years ago, a man who wasn’t even enrolled at the college gave into the temptation and drowned.  I’ll follow the sign’s advice.

I picked this for today’s artwork of the day because I feel like the first day of a new year is much like that creek.  You want to dive right in but there’s still dangers.  That’s especially true this year.  Are you going to swim or not?