What I Take from Niagara Falls . . .

And Leave in the Vortex.

“Everything flows, nothing stands still.”

― Heraclitus

When my family member M invited me on a road trip last fall, I was excited as I’m easily lost and would never venture on such a voyage alone. Thanks to her superior navigation skills, I found myself visiting Niagara Falls for the first time ever in my life. I was born on the East Coast and spent many years there, but sometimes it takes moving far away to realize what you missed.

From afar, the falls are quite obviously magical, an indisputable grand marvel of nature…

So much so, at night, our species gather along the shores and throw gigantic, scheduled sparkle stars into the air . . .

But do you dare to move your feet a little closer into the zone of relentless back spray from Niagara Falls, puny human? You will shiver against glistening-wet iron railings just to catch a wider glimpse of its veiled beauty lit up against evening skies . . .

You’ll battle chattering teeth because you don’t want to miss the evening parade of gem box colors—from pearly white to ruby red, shimmering gold, sapphire blue, aquamarine and alluring auras of emerald green . . .

Follow me for a stroll inside the tunnels under Niagara Falls where wishes are tossed freely into the waters, nameless and bright as full moons and spilled suns. Go on and make a wish, but I’ll never tell you mine—some secrets are meant only for the clarity of crystal-clear currents.

Emerge from the tunnels only to blink in startled awe as the roar of the falls suddenly kisses your skin—

Or, for a different panorama, ascend the Skylon Tower and peer down at the ferries bobbing like tiny toy ships in the fierce currents of the falls . . .

Now, do you dare to take a ferry yourself? Feel your own smallness down to the deepest cell in your bones? For up close, the falls are utterly ferocious and will swallow all your senses whole!

I must confess that the silver thunder of the falls mesmerized me, drowning out my noisy consciousness. And I was grateful for that. The wind coming off the falls blew sideways and pummeled my ears, almost driving through my skull like an invisible spear. Still, I pressed eagerly against the ferry’s railing—

*Photo by M. Special thanks for letting me borrow your RainSisters jacket, which held up admirably against the falls and was far more fashionable than my flimsy plastic poncho.

I wanted all of it, the sheer humbling and raw wonder shaking my skeleton and nerve bundles to the last quark. I didn’t feel real, more like a flickering dream wavering in and out of existence in a liquid holodeck. The sound and the spray soaked into my dehydrated decades and imprinted me with nature’s sternest reminder—

Nothing stays still. Everything flows through, then away . . .

Sometimes, though, it doesn’t feel that way. There are days, months, years even, when our life tangles up into impossible knots. Or maybe vortexes.

Until last year, I didn’t know that just a few miles from the legendary falls, the Niagara Whirlpool swirls with deadly counterclockwise lethality. Gazing down upon the vicious white currents from the high safety of a viewing platform, I could feel the bone-deep shiver traveling through my DNA:

Not safe.

Yet curious thrill-seekers can ride an antique cable car over the whirlpool, and stare straight down into its voracious maw . . .

Some have even tried to traverse the whirlpool as far back as the ill-fated swim of the intrepid Captain Matthew Webb in 1883. The whirlpool is currently off-limits to people because of the extreme danger posed by its snarling currents, although that hasn’t always stopped foolhardy attempts.

The crushing power of both the falls and the whirlpool remind me that sometimes, you will never be as strong as what breaks you in life. No human is immune to heartbreak, health problems, or catastrophe. You are changed, and maybe, you won’t even mend the same way again. But you will survive. And there is still beauty beyond the vortex, and wide blue skies, and those who will pull you up on your feet when you slip and fall. So when the vortex calls your name, don’t linger and listen too long.

Nothing stays still. Everything flows through, then away . . .

Sources:

Hudson, Jack (20 August 2025). “‘Nothing Great is Easy’: The Story of Captain Matthew Webb.” Swimtrek.com.

https://www.swimtrek.com/blog/nothing-great-is-easy-the-story-of-captain-matthew-webb

“Whirlpool Aero Car.” Niagara Parks.com.

https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/attractions/whirlpool-aero-car