“Water is the driving force of all nature.”—Leonardo DaVinci
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”—Lao Tzu
An overcast sky and a torrent of rain have hung over Northern California the last few weeks, but that didn’t stop Cecile and me from taking our usual morning walk. All the plants, trees and ground cover were lush and green.
Along the way, we were graced with a rainbow that caused us to pause and take it in before it dissipated. Afterward, I went to Bay Club Courtside across the Netflix headquarters to swim some laps and then made my way to watch water cascading over the Vasona Reservoir Dam spillway just minutes away.
When the Lexington dam reservoir in the Santa Cruz Mountains can't hold the excess water entering the reservoir it makes its way down the Los Gatos Creek to the Vasona Reservoir Dam Spillway.
Unless it’s mentioned on the news as it was two years ago after we exited an eight-year draught thanks to an onslaught of heavy rains, this event is largely taken for granted. The thunderous roar of crashing water from the spillway can be heard hundreds of feet away. As I drew closer, I could feel the rumbling vibrations under my feet. In spite of the rain, people were running on the trails.
A few stopped—as I had done—to witness the beauty and feel the powerful flow of water. As I shared the experience with a couple above me on the varied slanted terrain, the man's wife said with a hint of disappointment in her voice, “Can you believe my camera phone went dead?” She gratefully accepted my offer to text her one of my photos which I did on the spot. After wishing them a good day, I reflected on the experiences of the morning. It made me realize that I was living consciously in the moment by showing up for life which is inherently meaningful for no other reason than it is meant to be fully lived no matter how it presents itself—rain or shine.
