The post-election weeks are a very stressful time regardless if the results were in your favor or not. Setting the results aside, it is important to remember the true beauty of the world we live in. In English class the other day, we were called upon to reflect on a moment where we were entirely overwhelmed by our surroundings; a moment when all of our emotions rose to the surface and we were one hundred percent present and aware. In the post-election nation, it is easy for these moments to be overlooked and replaced by the fear, anxiety and hatred that is overwhelming our country. But the world we live in is beautiful. While we may disagree with the presidential candidate and feel personally victimized by his morals, the earth is still beautiful. We are lucky to experience a few moments in our life where we are truly taken aback by the world, can experience it with such vulnerability and are one hundred percent present. I beg you to reflect back on a few of these moments. They leave you feeling so graceful, thankful and peaceful.

Here is mine:

Last year, my friends Emma, Izzy, Austin and I decided to go on a hike. Being that Austin and Izzy were visiting from two different states, Emma and I wanted to show them a little piece of Oregon beauty. We found a random hike online and decided to go for it. It is called Abiqua Falls.

We truly did not know what we were in for. We rented a Zipcar and just set out on the road. We were off the highway way sooner than we thought we should be and drove through farmland for the remainder of the trip. When we neared the trailhead, the road turned to dirt and soon it became very uneven. We ended up following a pair of ATV’s in our sedan “Lewis & Clark Mobile” (a Zipcar heavily advertising our college) as far as we could before the terrain became too rough. We parked and began our hike.

I don’t want to bore you with every detail of the hike. To keep the story short, we hiked through the gorgeous greenery for an hour or so. There wasn’t a clear trailhead so we picked one of the paths off the road and decided to follow it. We were hoping to end at the actual falls but since we chose randomly, we had no idea what we were in for.

Austin was in a not so great mood, to say the least, and quite frankly it was bumming me out. I wanted him to enjoy his time in Portland and hang out with me, Izzy and Emma, but something was just off. But this was soon to change. We hiked and hiked and eventually we turned this final corner and what I saw truly blew my mind. Abiqua Falls, the amphitheater of nature, stood in all its glory right before our eyes. And Austin smiled. I smiled. The power of pure nature was immediately visible.

The falls were in full force, pouring water over the cliff and into the river. She was the most powerful entity I have ever seen in my life. What was shocking was the stillness of the air before turning that corner. The sheer surprise of seeing the fall for the first time was inspiring in itself.

But my moment didn’t begin until I went up close to her. The way the fall was situated in this amphitheater-shaped bowl of nature, you could walk up right alongside the waterfall. So I did this. I walked up, stood right next to her, and truly felt my insignificance in the world. I felt how beautiful the world is. How powerful nature is. How small I am.

I was entirely present. I couldn’t hear anything besides the force of the water hitting the rocks at my feet. I couldn’t see anything through my water-dotted glasses. I couldn’t feel anything besides the mist in the air. When all of my senses were entirely overtaken by this powerful force of nature, I was entirely there and entirely happy.

This is the only moment in my life where I have felt such incredible power and beauty - where I have felt so insignificant but so important at the same time. I left the falls incredibly thankful for my friends, the experience and nature in general.

I think back to this moment when I have lost faith in the present. Go ahead and try for yourself. Our memories can work wonders. You will be surprised to know that in the moments where we feel so insignificant, like the one I have described above, we can also feel the most at peace. These moments are a great break from reality and can remind you just how beautiful life is. While I am not saying we should ignore what is happening in the world right now, it is important to take a moment for yourself in order to overcome the future struggles. The sun will rise tomorrow regardless.