Niagara Falls,
We’re conversing again, aren’t we?
You may be surprised that I keep coming back to you. I try to discover new places, but I’m still somehow drawn towards you. They all think it’s a phase. But I don’t think it is. And let me tell you why.
I’ve had a long history with you, Niagara.
A time when you struck me was when I was in the 9th grade. My teacher decided to choose you for a class trip. I remember going there and having a blast. We went on Niagara’s Fury and hiked around the Falls. After the trip, I remember feeling a deep throb in my heart. Later, I realized it was because I missed you. And guess what? The trip to Niagara was perhaps my favourite memory of high school.
Almost a decade later, I returned to you. My life was in shambles. But as soon as I hopped off the train, I felt a sense of renewal and excitement. When I arrived and saw the Falls, I remembered why I missed you. I felt a sense of reconnection: I felt that I had opened a door that connected the present to my past and my future. I couldn’t exactly explain why, but I knew that I needed to return to you.
Over the next few years, I continued to voyage towards you. You intrigued me so much that I decided to borrow a book from my school library about you. And I discovered that, other than me, you represented a symbol of joy, freedom, and power to so many different people.
In the 1840s and 1850s, you played a huge role in the pursuit of justice and civil rights.
Around 40,000 to 50,000 African Americans traveled through you to escape slavery. A Harriet Tubman tribute is also placed near the White Water Walk, just to honour this aspect of history. Moreover, you not only provided people with nature, but with power. The water from the falls is also used to produce hydroelectricity for residents in Ontario and New York. Thanks to you, many people can enjoy electricity and power in their homes.
And in addition to the above, you’ve also lived through the War of 1812. There was the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, where around 900 soldiers were killed or missing. A historic monument still stands at the site.
But even though challenges occurred, you’ve lived through it all, Niagara. Tourists still come to you to take pictures of nature and the stunning, mighty waterfall.
But whenever I see you, I am reminded to keep going despite the hardships.
Niagara, even though you survived battles, you continued to help others and support them in their own journey.
And because of that, I’m reminded to never give up. All thanks to you, Niagara Falls.
Featured image via Stephen Crane on Unsplash
