Getting a Grip with the Help of the New River

Exploding Haystack at Fayette Station Rapid, New River West Virginia

Throughout the course of any day we are deluged with all kinds of situations requiring decision making and causing stress.  In my opinion, it’s not necessarily the situation that directly causes the stress, but our ability (or inability) to deal with that situation.  I know that when things seem bleak or overwhelming, it is usually because I am having difficulty taking a step back and looking at the situation objectively.

When I was in high school I remember being introduced to the concept of cosmic irony in English class as it referred to the “disparity between human desires and the harsh realities of the outside world (or the whims of the gods)”.  The image at the beginning of this post shows the New River near Fayetteville, West Virginia at a very high flow.  Looking at the rushing water, feeling and hearing the power of the water (45,000 cubic feet per second!) is a nice reminder that when all is said and done, the river will still be cutting its course through the Appalachian Mountains, making its way to the Gulf of Mexico.  The significance of my problems is minimal at best.   Unless I just give up (not possible), time will pass and I will make it through okay. This quote kind of sums it all up:

“The significance of man is that he is
that part of the universe that asks the
question, What is the significance of
Man? He alone can stand apart imaginatively
and, regarding himself and the universe
in their eternal aspects, pronounce a
judgement: The significance of man is
that he is insignificant and is aware
of it.”

-Carl Lotus Becker,
Progress and Power, 1935

So if you’ve managed to keep reading this far you may be asking, “what’s your point?”  And well you should be.  The point is this, if you can maintain some semblance of perspective in your daily life, it can help you keep a more even keel (or paddle, if you want to keep it rafting-oriented) as you negotiate the pools and rapids of your life.  If you occasionally feel like you are getting sucked down into the vortex, take some deep breaths and a step back.

Fayette Station New River West Virginia take out @ 15'

Let me leave you with this exquisite photo from National Geographic.

New River West Virginia at Dawn from National Geographic