Essence, Not Size, Determines Significance.

During a recent visit to Yosemite National Park I learned that significance does not depend on magnitude or size. The main attractions in Yosemite are arrayed along a twelve-mile loop through the Yosemite Valley. Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls are without dispute, awe-inspiring. But to me, the most striking feature in the valley is not the soaring grandeur of the rock edifices, but rather a small, insignificant spring at the end of the 12-mile loop. It is so insignificant that it does not have a parking area, but only a small turnout from the road.

I pull my car into the turnout more from my mother’s influence (she always wanted to read every exhibit card in a museum and see every sight on a trip) than interest in the roadside feature. I park, turn off my car, and get out to read the sign posted by the national park service. A small sign says, “Fern Spring.”

Fern Spring - the Source of Life
Fern Spring – the Source of Life

A larger sign nearby says the waters flowing from Fern Spring originate from snow melt at the top of the valley rim and filter through hundreds of vertical feet of rock to the spring’s location on the valley floor. The description continues:

“Native Americans consider Fern Spring a site of spiritual significance and call it ‘the source of life’.”I pause. I read the sign again. I wonder how long does it take the water to get from valley rim to this spring. I wonder at the powerful appellation of “source of life” appended by those more in touch with the earth and its mysteries than I. I think, what can this teach me?

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