{"id":24363,"date":"2021-03-18T12:00:21","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T19:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=24363"},"modified":"2021-01-25T07:59:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T15:59:49","slug":"its-all-there-a-meditative-moment-with-a-river-snorkeler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2021\/03\/18\/its-all-there-a-meditative-moment-with-a-river-snorkeler\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s All There: A Meditative Moment with a River Snorkeler"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meandering slowly through the old-growth, footsteps dampened by thick mats of ancient moss, my mind weaves in and out of different worlds as my feet move with their present purpose. The deep wisdom of very old trees sweetens the air, each breath filling me with the kind of knowledge that defies words. We make it to the river as the sun begins to kiss the cold rocks, illuminating clear, pristine pools\u2014the kind with an almost irresistible pull.<\/p>\n

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My eyes explore as I pull on my wetsuit. Rocks speckled with muted lichen tones, light glinting off silken spider bridges, and little plants clinging heroically to bare rock, hungrily eating sunlight. The river plays a symphony in the background as water moves over rocks in the riffle and swirls endlessly in an eddy. There are so many things to notice when the mind slows, appreciation pours in as the senses stop sifting. One could write an encyclopedia on all the sounds of water.<\/p>\n

Sliding clumsily into the shallow pool, the cold water greets me. Welcoming the intensity, the sensations, the vigor\u2014my body and senses adjust to the liquid world around me. Skimming over rocks that have been smoothed into a reflection of the moving water above them, I watch as rays of light hit the surface and then fracture, scattering with chaotic purpose, marbling the gravelly contours of the bottom while slashing across the walls of the submerged canyon.<\/p>\n