What It Does For Us

How many of our vacations are planned around water? We plan trips to the beach, when on hikes we try to be creek side if possible, we excurse (the act of excursion? it is now) to see lakes and waterfalls and headwaters. Sure, water cools us. And it is one of the five basic, fundamental needs of life; without water we can only survive for two to three days.

Is it the pull of our evolution? That life as we know it on earth began in water. Is it that we love the edge of things (the beach: land to water edge. mountain tops and horizons: earth to sky edge. waves and the expanse of lakes: air to water edge)? Is it simply the color blue, dominant on our planet, the hue of our sky and the most soothing color of all? What, blue's not for you? My heavens, what planet are you from?

Are there even answers to these questions? Well, yes. However, my answers might not be your answers. You may even find the questions inconsequential. For me, I find my mind likes to mull and ponder, often on the most mundane of matters. Like, why the pull of water?

I seek water because of what it does for me, and not just it's cooling effect (because of my thing with heat, you know) and it's essentiality (needed for existence, and for the making of bottled brown water). I seek water because I feel moved by it, soothed by it, awed by it in all it's forms (especially in the form of snow! Best ever!). I look at lakes, running streams, broad rivers, the expanse of an ocean, and deep within my chest there is a release. In my mind, there is an unnameable letting go. I look at water, and I sigh (I just took a huge sigh, simply because I looked at this photo of Crater Lake!). My shoulders drop, my mind becomes quiet, my face relaxes, my heart both speeds up with exhilaration and slows down in a peaceful rhythm (I know, that's not possible. Try telling that to my heart.)

When all these things happen, space is created in me, and creativity bubbles. I've head-written (the writing I do in my mind) some of my best dialogues; I've discovered plot holes and filled them in a manner I had not thought of before. I see new facets to my characters....the ones I write with; I don't have alters.

What is your contemplative medium? Whatever it is, I hope it does for you what water does for me. And I hope you realize your muse's power, and embrace it, because a recognized power is an enhanced power.

For me, it's water. Thank you, H2O.

Crater Lake