Today, I want to bring you to a place that’s special to me: Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River, just above Bend, Oregon. Be sure to watch until the end; the video is only 31 seconds long.
You get to Dillon Falls via a long dirt road that brings you a few hundred yards above the falls. Turn right at the river and you’ll get to paddleboard upstream on a long flat stretch of the water. There’s a current, but it’s not that hard to paddle against. After a few minutes, you’ll come to a large tree that’s missing its top half; a family of ospreys have made it home.
If you turn left at the river, it’s a different story. You’ll quickly be swallowed up by the rapids; this video shows their first section.
I love to sit on the rocks here and feel the energy that’s everywhere. The very same water in which I wade, swim and float transforms from nurturing to roaring.
What happened?
People are very similar to this water. If I give you a hug and tell you what I love about you, the odds are pretty high your energy will be upbeat and positive.
But if a car cuts you off and the driver throws a beer bottle at your windshield, your blood pressure will probably double and you may use words that haven’t passed your lips since high school.
Same water/person, different states.
Which one is the true you? Loving you or hateful you?
Which one is the true water? Peaceful water or dangerous water?
When you put it this way, the answer is clear: both. Our states are dependent on our circumstances. We can try to minimize this fact, but we can’t minimize physics. If I toss a bucket of water off a cliff, it behaves differently than if I allow it to sit in peace. The same is true for people.
This is why I think it’s important to understand that your environment always wins. It’s why I spend so much time on or nearby the river, because this is how I manage to best influence my state.
Where do you go—or what do you do—when you choose to positively influence your state? Maybe you should do more of it…
It's got me thinking about my rituals, and my reactions to life's ebb and flow.
I also enjoy being near water, especially moving water. We grew up having many of our family events at Minnehaha Falls and walking along the creek to the Mississippi.
I go to the mountains. Usually the Cascades, which are close to home. Sometimes the Olympics. I love to feel small in their magnificent beauty. I love the sounds of their forests. I love the taste of their water. I love the peace of their solitude....