Water does not resist. Water flows. When you put your hand into it, all you feel is a caress…” Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
Hmmm, what else could be both the essence of life and the world in a droplet?
We tend to take water for granted. It is always just there to nourish us, literally and figuratively, and to inspire us in so many ways. Did you know: 71% of the earth’s surface is water-covered.
I have always loved to be around water: lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and marshes. I find them soothing to my soul in a way that is difficult to express in words. Margaret Atwood does a much better job of it, in the quotation that is interspersed through this post, than I ever could.
We are particularly blessed here in the Great Lakes region. Did you know: The Great Lakes contain an estimated six quadrillion gallons of water – fully one-fifth of the world’s surface water. We have the luxury of being able to stroll the lake shoreline whenever we please and bask in its lifegiving force.
The Grand River is also just a few miles away. Did you know: The Grand River is the largest river in Ontario stretching over 280 kilometres with 16 tributaries flowing into it. Grand River vistas, like the one above, call out to me to slow down, rest, put aside the cares of life and be enveloped in the grace and wonder.
… Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it…
Water takes on a different persona when it thunders over a drop in the land as depicted in the photo above of Albion Falls in Hamilton. We are also blessed in this area to be only an hour away from the majestic Niagara Falls. Did you know: Niagara Falls ranks fifth in the list of the world’s ten tallest waterfalls. 3,160 tons of water flow over the Horseshoe Falls every second.
Standing in the presence of one of these cataracts, I become aware of the ferocious force of water and how, as Atwood puts it, nothing can stand against it.
… Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water.
At the other end of the spectrum are waterdrops. Each are a wonder of their own when they rest on a leaf as shown in the photograph at the head of this post. Did you know: Waterdrops form because water is sticky. It clumps together because of its cohesive properties.
The water droplets on this plant leaf are little islands of wonder. If I free my mind to roam as it wishes, I can see entire worlds in each drop and imagine the leaf they cling to is a universe of its own.
Water metaphors abound. A drop in the bucket. A sea of trouble. A river of words. But the one that most appeals to me is a flood of emotion. Did you know: Water makes up 66% of the human body and fully 70% of the human brain. So it literally does flood my emotions in every sense of the phrase.
Water: The essence of life and the world in a droplet.
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: Margaret Atwood · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · water · water dropNo Comments