Adam's Creation - Eden At Falls-Speak - A Center for Tolerance, Respect, And Understanding

Chapter 1 — Beginnings

The cool wet mist and the more drenching spray of the waterfall tingled Adam Gardner’s face as he sat on a rock looking out at the falls. This felt good and reassuring to him: just what he needed and wanted most this sunny summer day. He wanted to be closer than normal to the falls; in physical contact with the falls, not just hearing or seeing it. The water was hopefully washing away his anguish. To Adam, now in his late sixties, the falls and the river were the very heart and circulation that supported all nature in his private world. It carved out the earth and rocks and washed away any debris that fell into its reach. Here, Adam could absorb the spirit and soul of nature, as he often heard it speaking to him, inspiring him, and energizing him from the waters.

The source of the river that flowed near Adam Gardner’s homestead was mysterious: originating from some subterranean unexplored place in northern Maine or Ontario, as legend went. A few miles upstream from where Adam would go to see the waterfall, the river had narrowed and became more turbulent, with large boulders barely submerged below the surface. The river then fell some eighty feet in a divided and broken waterfall, ending in a large, deep plunge pool of water that had been scooped out of the rock by the pounding and pressure of the water cascading through the rocky channel over the millennia. Adam sensed the falls were the center of energy and the primordial source for all the nature that surrounded his home and his world. The river, and particularly the falls, had a mysterious and spiritual power, derived from the very substance of nature. The naturally formed pool, just downstream from the waterfall, sat like a large mixing bowl, with sections showing a churning vortex of mixing currents, and other sections where water just seemed to calmly rotate. Adam would be fascinated watching river eddies and small whirlpools suddenly form, and then disappear. It was an ever-changing mosaic of color and pattern. Downstream, as the ground became more level, the river took a sharp bend with an even more tranquil large pool of deep water. This could be a refreshing area for swimming on a hot summer day, if the swimmer, like Adam, was familiar with the different currents, and with the boulders in the water and on the shore. From there, the river flowed downstream for several miles, till it slowed again, dividing into wetlands with broad marshes, with a gentle lazy flow and where the main flow split into several wide shallow channels. Here a variety of waterfowl could be seen most days, searching for their fish dinner, or just swimming quietly with their brood. From there, the waters made their way down to the Gulf of Maine and the sea – finally merging into the Atlantic Ocean.

At times Adam reflected on the history of these waters, and compared them with the history of the world, or of life: having a mysterious beginning, stretches of increased mixing, sorting, rearrangement, turbulence and violence, a period (or periods) of climactic clashing of competing forces, pools of repetitive circulation, then a resolution into a peaceful calm, with an eventual quiet ending in the vast enigma of the ocean.

Adam always enjoyed the short walk from his home to the waterfall. Most days he brought Galli, his eight-year-old devoted Yellow Labrador retriever (named after Galileo, whom Adam admired for his insight and intellect, qualities he also perceived in his canine companion). Galli loved the short run to the falls, with the smells and fresh air he encountered along the way. But Galli particularly loved Adam, and, if allowed, he would follow Adam everywhere and anywhere he went. He would always be on the lookout for any wild animals or any threat to Adam, although there never was any. The path laced through the woods and shrubs, passing the unmarked edge of his property. A short distance further, the trail turned dramatically, and descended rather steeply some fifty feet to the waterfall. This last section was public land. He did not own the falls. It was there for everyone. But he never encountered anyone else in this area. Since he saw no other maintained access to this site from his side of the river, Adam assumed that people who previously lived on his land had developed the trail. The waterfall itself was magnetic, always calling Adam and drawing him forwards. It seemed the center of energy for everything in the region: hypnotic, exhilarating and inspiring. But in a strange way it was also calming and reassuring. It spoke to him and his inner soul. The falls told him, “The world is full of wonder - see it - enjoy it - cherish it! It is yours, care for it!” “Nature is supreme, and is a gift to all humanity!” Adam could hear his late father’s voice speaking through the falls - teaching him, guiding him, loving him.

The grandeur of the river and waterfall varied with the season and quantity of water flowing downstream. But the falls seemed also to respond to his mood, to inspire him and interact with him in light dance, in tantalizing him, or just in overwhelming him with its majesty and grandeur. He felt there was something supernatural about the falls, and he never tired of seeing its beauty or feeling its energy and majesty. Here he felt at one with the natural world. Moses had his Burning Bush in the Sinai Peninsula, and the Buddha had his Bodhi Tree in India. Adam had his waterfall. To Adam, visiting the falls was truly a spiritual experience.

Adam always enjoyed the cool fresh air, and the gentle sound and feel of his weight crunching the path, announcing his presence and participation in the natural world. There was an undisturbed peace that exhilarated and engulfed him when he stopped every so often to listen, and breathe in the fragrances of the cool fresh air. Adam felt surrounded by well-known friends: the flora and fauna of the area. He knew this path by heart; he was sure he could walk it with his eyes closed. He had taken this walk most every day over the past fifty years. He loved watching the leaves change color with the changing seasons and with their growth, and their annual loss. In winter, Adam liked the sound of crunching the snow, and Galli loved jumping into the deep drifts. In the coldest days of winter, the falls froze almost completely, and looked like a magnificent ice-sculpture. But there was always a hidden current flowing. On sunny wintery days, the whole area looked like a Currier and Ives winter idyllic scene - one that might be seen in a jigsaw puzzle. But each season had its appeal and its message for Adam to enjoy.

The other side of the river and waterfall was only a bit more developed. There was a rustic recreational area with hiking trails, a small area for parking, with a narrow dirt road that led to the county highway – the road that provided access to the area, and which served the community. Occasionally, during clear bright days, Adam would see people walking on the other side of the river, and would watch them stop their hike to take in the majestic scene. He never could speak with them, as the noise of the falls drowned out any possible vocal interchange. At most, they could wave to each other, if they happened to be looking his way when he was looking at theirs. They appeared as distant, moving manikins, acting upon a stage. Adam would try to imagine the vista, as they would see it; from their perspective, they certainly would have a very different view of the falls and its surroundings. Did they have a similar reaction to the river as he? What went through their minds when they viewed the natural beauty of the area? Did they share the thrill and excitement that the waterfall engendered in him? Did it speak to them? Or was his vantage such, that only he was able to absorb the scene, or feel the impact of the falls from his unique perspective? He never took the trip to the other side, since without a nearby bridge to cross the river; the journey to the other side would take a good half hour drive by car. Adam pondered: “Did anyone ever get a comprehensive picture of the beautiful scene of the falls? Everyone looks at the world from his or her own personal perspective and sees only the view that their position allows. Probably very few people make the effort to see things from another vantage.”

But beside a mild interest, actually Adam had no burning desire to actually see the waterfall and river from the other side. He was very satisfied and comfortable with his perspective, and felt no urge to change his image of the river. However, he did try to imagine experiencing the river and waterfall as if he were a small branch floating along with the current: the surprising sudden change in the stream that moved the water from one direction to another and swept the branch to the precipice. The waterfall itself displayed immense raw natural power, and the thunder of its Siren call could be heard for miles around, even from his home, if he listened carefully. Its sound beckoned him toward the falls, as if by a strong magnetic pull. The mist and spray of the pounding water shrouded the base of the falls, which made it even more mysterious. The actual focal point of all the tumbling water was beyond human view, hidden in white turbulence and the mist of the water spray. The pounding, crashing cascade of water dispersed molecules of water high into the air, mixing fine droplets with air and changing its appearance into a white churning froth. But despite the turbulence, the droplets all came back together into a tranquil pool. Here, displayed before him was chaos, turbulence, resolution, tranquility, and peace. On occasion he would also be treated to the sight of a rainbow...