Mount Rainier National Park’s Panorama Point

| September 18, 2016 |

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,
for going out, I found, was really going in.
– John Muir –

Oh yes, until sundown I did stay. I was so enraptured by Mount Rainier National Park that I surrendered to time and absorbed all the beauty of Panorama Point until darkness. Being that this was my first solo hike and I’m terrible at navigating (seriously), this definitely led to a wee bit fret, but I safely made it back to my car and have some incredible shots of sunset. Watching the complete colorful transition across the vast sky from High Skyline Trail added to the enchantment of the evening, and I sat in complete awe (thanks to Aharon Hannan, my sense of wonder is captured in my feature photo above).

I’ve come across the phrase “finding direction magnetically” a lot recently, and it’s truly resonated with me. I reflected on its meaning as I saw watching the sunset, breathing in the wild mountain air…

Being above the clouds at 6,700 feet was inspiring and magical. My steps were accompanied by wildflowers aplenty, whirling clouds, and a friendly marmot. In the distance, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Hood were visible and I was losing my breath–not from exertion, but from sheer amazement. I wanted to scream it was all so beautiful.

Being ‘pulled magnetically’ is a powerful way to express our ability to follow our dreams. Magnets work on attraction, as the poles have to be aligned in order to stimulate a union…

In order to actually be pulled toward something, and then get there the poles have to be aligned: (1) We must be aligned, (2) The timing and place must be aligned.

We are aligned in recognizing our desires. These desires may be simple, or they may be complex. They may be clearly defined, or loose visions of the life we imagine.

The timing and place must also be aligned. Sometimes, we want something, but it is not our time. We may cross paths with a soulmate, but perhaps they are taken, or not in our proximity. We envision what we want, but what we want may not be readily available. And so we must be patient.

When we are aligned, and timing/place is aligned, the magnetic poles are attracted to each other. This is not a gradual attraction, but a POWERFUL one. Magnets don’t walk toward each other, they are DRAWN to each other–quickly without yielding.

This is how we feel when we are pulled magnetically. We are in a tunnel of attraction. We are first met with the wonderment and curiosity in our hearts of our desires, and then when these desires become available, we are WOW-ed by their presence. We are enraptured in the truth that everything we had imagined is now real.

Everyone is pulled to something different. I was once pulled to beaches and seawater, but recent days have pulled me to mountaintops, clouds, lakes, and jaw-dropping landscapes. This all started with a dose of curiosity about life in the Pacific Northwest.

When I realized the flat (yet beautiful) landscapes in Florida were beginning to lose “umph” in my altitude-craving soul, I stumbled upon the work of photographers living in the Pacific Northwest on social media platforms (specifically Instagram, of course). I wondered what it would be like to be on the other end of their camera, experiencing the landscapes myself.

I didn’t realize the magnetic force I had created. Suddenly, I was being sucked into the world of the Pacific Northwest, and my desire for mountains, jewel-colored lakes, and adventure-seekers was delivered fiercely into the palm of my hands.

As I sat at Panorama Point, I felt like I was watching a dramatic movie (not just because I was eating half-popped popcorn and drinkin’ a beer!), and I watched the scenes unfold as the clouds whirled around Adams, Hood, Helens, and Rainier. I thanked Mount Rainier, the Evergreen State, the Pacific Northwest, and all the inspirational people/places I have been drawn to for the majestic, mysteriously revealing beauty of Mother Nature.

Though my magnetic pole is still aligned with the Pacific Northwest, I know I will one day be drawn to different people and places. The beauty of our attraction is that it will forever be shifting with our desires, and we will always discover something anew within ourselves and the outside world with each portion of our journey.

I hope you have found something to be pulled to magnetically. Follow your passion(s), and your desires will reveal themselves as truths rather than dream-like ideals…