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Iceland

Waterfalls manage to be supremely peaceful and intensely powerful at the same time. They walk a rare, fine line between soft and hard. On a scientific level, they have a powerful energetic effect on the space around them. The collision of rushing water molecules strip electrons from the oxygen in the water itself, allowing them to accumulate in the oxygen atoms of the surrounding air. The waterfall becomes positively charged while the atmosphere around it acquires a negative charge.

Though a misnomer, negative ions create positive effects. Some of these distinctly beneficial impacts include: neutralizing free radicals, revitalizing cell metabolism, enhancing immune function, and blood purification. So in essence, the next time you are considering a visit to your primary care physician, I highly recommend exploring a waterfall trail first.

Boulder River Trail, Washington

I find the imagery of a waterfall extremely powerful when you apply this scientific knowledge of their inherent energy exchange. The flowing, crashing water takes on an overtly positive charge and in doing so, sustains and enlivens the surrounding area. The waterfall is steady and reliable in its intuitive purpose of positively impacting any living thing within its proximity. 

I simply love to bear witness to waterfalls. All my favorite hikes involve waterfalls and/or lakes, which will come as no surprise f you've read this blog or hiked with me.  I thought my enjoyment of them was pretty straight forward, but I clearly receive something profound in their presence. Perhaps this bump in serotonin provided by the influx of negative ions is like the MSG of the natural world, bringing me back again and again.

I've been thinking a lot these past few days about how I show up for people and how they show up for me. At the end of the day, most of us just want others to witness and confirm our existence. We need to be seen, heard, and if possible, understood. At best we dare to dream of being celebrated. Some people will mistakenly consider this high maintenance. Your needs can make them uncomfortable, especially if they just don't want to meet them. Indeed I think indifference may be the greatest threat to human intimacy.

In the past I have made the mistake of expecting others to know what I need or want without me having to communicate it explicitly. Now I am much more willing to ask for what I want, even though I cannot control if others meet me there. What we crave in terms of acknowledgement seems so incredibly simple to give in comparison to the nature of the waterfall. We aren't required to deplete ourselves entirely to charge the people around us. We can take steps to offer the people we care about most the unadorned yet earnest gift of being celebrated.

A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/brene_brown_553094

“We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.” ~ Brené Brown

Gulfoss, Iceland

Kirkjufell, Iceland

Iceland

Iceland

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Kamikazee Falls, Washington

Bridal Veil Falls, Washington

Denny Creek Falls, Washington

The top of Wallace Falls, Washington