I love small and medium-sized waterfalls.
What about big waterfalls? Aren’t they majestic and grand? Yes. But to enjoy them, I need to travel. I can’t just walk out into my backyard, or into my living room, and enjoy them.
I can walk out into my backyard, flip a switch, grab a chair, and watch as a continual cascade of water streams over the rocks and into a pool of water. I can feed the remaining six goldfish, from the original 10 that my grandson, Evan, and I purchased at Petco several months ago.
I can walk into my living room, flip a switch, grab a chair, and watch as a continual cascade of water streams over the tiny rocks, and then disappears, only to arise again at the top of the rocks.
I know it’s not the same as an encounter with a REAL waterfall, but perhaps that is exactly why I like the smaller ones. People without smaller waterfalls, powered by electric pumps, are relegated to closing their eyes and imagining the grandeur of a REAL giant waterfall. Or, they are relegated to seeing them in magazines or on TV. But I am able to actually see and hear the grandeur of cascading waters at will.
I Drift Away
More than just relaxation, more than just enjoying the sights and sounds of my small and medium-sized waterfalls, I actually transport myself into a verdant and luscious environment where snakes may lurk, as well as lizards, frogs and toads. I am taken to a serene setting, fall away from my backyard and living room. I am at peace, and at one with nature – as long as the electricity stays on.
My real dream, however, to be actualized once I win the lottery, is to have an outdoor vivarium-terarium. One in which I can actually enter and commune with the flora and fauna surrounding my slightly larger than medium-sized waterfall.
So what do you do to escape? How do you commune with nature?
I suppose it really doesn’t matter if you enjoy pictures in a book, videos on TV, or REAL small, medium-sized, or giant waterfalls. The main thing is that you “commune” with what you enjoy — that you get in there and forget all else for a short period of time. I think that life’s pressures almost necessitate that we make that occasional break with reality – into the world of our dreams.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com
