Do you like waterfalls? If so, how do you like them? Do you like to look at them? Or do you like to jump off them? When we think of waterfalls, we think of powerful displays of nature. Litres of water tumbling down meters of substrate. But we risk forgetting that the waterfall is part of a river. And only a short part in that. Some parts of the exact same river might be slow-streaming, maybe even stagnant.

Have you ever noticed that these stagnant parts are even part of the waterfall itself? Rock formations give shelter to the fast pacing water. Small or big pools turn around in the same circles, over and over again. However, the slightest change in position of the water could completely change its state. It would result in the water being violently pulled back into the river, flowing along with its course.

I think sometimes we can be like stagnant water. Perhaps we like the shelter we find ourselves in. We might be afraid of the fast-flowing river that roars by minute after minute, day after day. Especially if your stagnant water is located at the top of the waterfall. Just imagine tumbling all the way down. Who would want that?

The funny thing is, the outlook is completely different from the bottom of the waterfall. Onlookers admire the strong force of nature. They delight in the creative shapes cut out by the persistent water. They love seeing things set in motion. What if… the waterfall is pure excitement? What if it’s nothing to be afraid of? What if it will be a wild crazy adventure for a bit? 

We can choose to stay in our stagnant water, or to look beyond it. And if we dare to be set in motion, there’s one certainty: waterfalls are not the permanent state of a river. They’re only there to accommodate a change in their surroundings.