Cascading Waters

With eyes pinched shut, I scrunch my face as steaming hot water pelts it from the waterfall. Having found such a remote hot mineral spring in the desolate mountains of Wyoming is a blessing.

As the hot water falls from a high granite shelf, it dissipates mid-air from a steady stream to more of a spray as I stand in the cascading waters. The water collects in a pool, cut into the rock from centuries of wear, that is slick with algea. These simple plants have hues of blues and greens swaying in the swirling current like gusty winds blowing across a vast Kansas wheatfield. Streaks of yellows, smeared with black swipes, also decorate the underwater rock walls due to minerals leaching from the dense water. Calcium and/or limestone deposits from the water appear like bumpy candle wax drippings along the waterline of the small basin.

Rising steam challenges the frigid winter air as snow pummels the landscape. The water snakes through a thick stand of pine trees and eats at the snow that encroaches too close to the banks. Down in the meadow, bison stand nearly motionless as they line the hot ribbon of water while enjoying the pillowing steam warming their shaggy heads. Snow accumulates on their backs with the only sounds being their occasional grunting heard over the waterfall.

All is peaceful as I soak with my eyes closed, lost in thought and time. 

But then, I open my eyes and see bland colored, square wall and floor tiles and my waterfall reverts back to the chrome-plated, Standard shower head poking out of the wall.

For over 5 weeks, I floundered around in a bathtub with the cast or boot and I finally got the green light to take a shower. I don't allow myself many luxuries in life, but I will spoil myself with good craft beer and very long, very hot showers. Since the surgical incision on my heel is nearly skinned over and safe from infection, I cautiously crutched into the gym's shower stall. Oversized handlebars are attached to the walls and folding chairs are bolted in place making my shower debut much safer that if attempted at home. Plus, an added bonus is that the gym has a huge boiler for me to try to drain on my body. This simple act of showering is one of many things in life I recognized having taken for granted. Lathering up my hair and rinsing off the meringue of foamy bubbles was repeated 5 times because, well...because I can finally do it again.

I am looking forward for doing alot of things again as my healing progresses.  And, it's good to still be a kid at heart and have a good imagination...I want to disappear in Wyoming's wilds to wander about searching for my waterfall shower someday.