Fascination for the unseen

Often times, we take things at face value and go with what’s visible to us. And yet, we have a fascination for the unseen. We enjoy exploring and discovering as much or even more than the known. And when we do stumble upon the unseen, it’s awe inspiring, it’s humbling.  Join me on this podcast to hear my experiences with the unseen and being intentional in delving beneath the surface.

Transcript

Hello everyone, and welcome to the podcast of the Ordinary Maverick. This is Ajey, your host, an ordinary Maverick sharing real life thoughts and experiences and Maverick tips. If you haven’t hit the subscribe button yet, please do so, and you’ll not miss another episode.

Remember staying up late at night at family get togethers, or with friends at sleep overs and speaking about ghosts, recounting horror stories for fun? We’ve all had these experiences while growing up and while it was a lot of fun, there was also fascination. Fascination for the unknown, for the unseen. And of course, there was always that one cousin, that one friend who was the most scared, whose eyes kept growing larger and larger as the stories progressed and who everyone liked to tease while there was a self-proclaimed leader of the group who appeared nonchalant and had all the answers. Ha ha…. childhood memories are the most special.

Well, while many of us grow out of the love or fear of the horror stories, the fascination for the unseen continues for life. Who doesn’t like to watch movies that bring out this aspect…to travel and visit places that have a reputation for the untouched, the unseen parts of nature, like forests, the ocean, the glaciers and so on.

Over the years, as a family, we’ve also loved to explore lesser-known places and experience new things. It’s the thrill but it’s also about curiosity, an eagerness to see what’s beneath the surface. Guess it’s the Maverick spirit! Right, fellow Mavericks????

But going beneath the surface means unpacking layers, always keeping an open mind as you never know what dwells under. Heard about the onion peeling theory?  About uncovering the layers. As you peel, you learn, you reflect, you understand the influence of each one and that helps in understanding what makes you tick, in engaging in purposeful and conscious change and growing into the person one wants to be. Getting adept at doing this is a sign of emotional maturity. 

It's also a way to solve problems. Peel away, keep asking the questions, and keep at it till you reach the heart of the issue and only then can you find the solution. I recall many decades back when I had recently shifted career tracks and entered the development sector, and was literally starting from scratch, it was not easy to set up an office, finding office space with no capital and setting it up was not a simple task. If you haven’t heard the episode on changing career tracks and my experience, please do so…it’s full of insights on both challenges but also learnings. Coming back to the peeling onion theory, I started unpacking one by one the issues and trying to identify solutions to having an office space. One that would be inexpensive, in a good location and would facilitate setting up a development not for profit. Against each potential layer and solution, wrote down the possible actions and who could help. It helped outline clear actions, timelines and gave me a lot of insights into possible pathways. In the end, it worked and after a few months of working from home, we had an office space in the city Municipal school building, was able to contribute to utility charges and it ticked all the boxes! Was economical, well located and just what we needed to kick start the work.

That was over 20 years ago, but the principle of digging beneath, unpacking and seeing what’s not easily seen continues to hold strong in the way my family and I approach life.

We’re currently living in Seattle, and I’ve shared our adventures and discoveries of this beautiful part of the world in many podcast episodes. Not far from where we live are the awe-inspiring Snoqualmie falls. These falls are special, they are a site of natural, historic and cultural convergence and the second most visited natural landmark in Washington after Mount Rainier. The falls are more than twice as high as Niagara Falls and close to 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year. 

Well, we’ve been counted towards the 1.5 million figure as have gone to the Falls many times. They are simply breathtaking. And if you’ve been listening to my podcasts, you’ll know there’s something about Mavericks and waterfalls!! The free-flowing spirit perhaps????

The Snoqualmie falls have historical significance for the Snoqualmie people who have lived in this region for time immemorial. Snoqualmie means the moon and there are many legends and beliefs associated with this area and the falls. One of them being that the mists rising from the base of the waterfall serve to connect heaven and Earth.

Remember the unseen fascination? Well, if you ever visit the falls, that’s what strikes you, at face value, and what you see in front of you are the majestic falls, the water, the mist, the stones, the sheer beauty of a 270-foot waterfall.

But and here’s the BUT – the falls hydroelectric plant is the world’s first completely underground power plan. Plant 1 was built in 1899 and is at the base of the falls embedded in the rock and Plant 2 was built in 1910, further expanded in 1957 and located a short distance downstream of the falls. It is operated by Puget sound energy which is an energy utility company based in the State of Washington providing electrical power and natural gas to the Puget Sound region. 

Hydropower makes up over two thirds of the Washington State’s energy generation which is unique. It’s the number 1 State for producing hydroelectric power in the United states and is the site of the Grand Coulee Dam, which is the largest US hydropower facility and has the highest electricity – generation capacity of all US power plants. Snoqualmie falls hydro plant is the olders power generating operation and contributes and supplies clean, renewable electricity for the people. The electricity generated is sufficient to meet the needs of more than 20,000 households. We were wondering…who knows, maybe our home gets electricity from the falls…how cool is that?

Honestly, if you didn’t know or looked beneath the surface, you would never ever know that there was a historic underground power plant.

And such is what it is in life…there is a fascinating unseen all around us. Whether it’s within us, people who we meet and interact with, and in nature. Let’s train ourselves to look beneath the surface, to dig deep, to not settle for what we see but intentionally try and learn more. We will be happier for doing so!

Just like the discovery of a heritage underground power plant under the waterfall, we are sure to find hidden treasures under the surface.

Reminds me a bit about Disney land. For those who have visited Disney land, the theme park offers us an opportunity to let our imaginations run wild and to continue to experience the power and fascination of the unseen.

I will never forget our first Disneyworld family trip with our girls just about 4 and five years old. Entering the magic kingdom and walking through castles, opening doors and windows and discovering hidden things, seeing the joy and excitement light up their faces is unforgettable. That’s why treasure hunts and going after what one doesn’t know is so appealing. And as children, we SHOW joy and appreciation for these moments of discovery. And it’s infectious! Observe children, they live in the MOMENT and enjoy each one! 

Fellow Mavericks, I want to urge us to bring the joy of the unseen and the intentionality into our everyday lives. And how impactful it can be for both you and everyone around you if we just noticed the unseen. Many times, we are so busy in our everyday lives and running to meet deadlines, we forget to notice what’s around us and that in some ways this becomes the unseen in our lives. 

It’s the small things that people do….could be just be your partner or your parent, sibling or friend, room mate, brewing the coffee or tea in the morning. Or waving goodbye as you drive off to work. 

As we continue life’s journey and face challenges along the way, keep the fascination of the unseen in you and most importantly, Acknowledge it. Appreciate it.

And it’ll all come back to you with interest. That’s a Maverick promise!.

Do share your thoughts at ‘theordinarymaverick@gmail.com’ and follow me on Instagram #theordinarymaverick.  I love hearing from you. This is Ajey, signing off and wishing you have an amazing rest of the year and kickstart the new year doing what makes you happy! Keep well. 

This podcast series was put together as a team effort from the Bhardwaj family.  Concept, design, title, researchers and reviewers: Ajey, Sanjana, Avantika and Niharika Bhardwaj; Script– Sanjana; Cover design – Niharika. All rights reserved.