At first you hear it. The river that is. In this stretch it flows fast and hard through the canyon. You feel it as much as hear it. The sound travels up through the stone until it reaches your feet and enters your body, the vibrations causing your whole self to resonate with its power. Somewhere along its length there must be calm spots where it flows quietly and calmly between its banks unaware of the tumultuous rapids ahead. But that’s there, it not here by any means.

Here it is forced into narrower and narrower places in the canyon where it can do nothing but race forward as fast as gravity allows it to. Tumbling, roaring, smashing itself against the immovable rocks and cliff sides it proceeds ever onward, regardless of obstructions, as that is its destiny.

Along its path there are beautiful things, incredible cliff faces, majestic trees, foaming, dashing waterfalls, the full exuberance of life. But it is a dangerous place too. Objects falling into the rushing stream will be carried off to whatever end nature has in store for them. The river is remorseless in its drive to complete its task and there is no waiting or worrying about what may happen along its journey. It is just a force of Nature.

One needs to careful approaching rivers as you may fall in and be swept away forever. Still whenever you see a river there is no denying its loveliness. It is constant and its beauty will remain with you forever whenever you leave it. That’s how life works. And rivers too.