All Hearts Lead to Niagara Falls

By Deon Toban

Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.

~David Richo

A few years ago, autumn left me with a broken heart. When the love of your life falls in love with someone that isn't you, it leaves you with cracks and bruises within the soul. The advancing of a harsh Canadian winter left me with little hope that those scars would be healed any time soon. But as much as my heart was broken, I had the desire to be surrounded by love.

Niagara Falls fit the bill. As a popular destination for honeymooners, Niagara Falls has a way to create the most intimate moments and revive the deepest loves. As much as it can help you fall in love, I thought, maybe it could help heal me from love as well.

With a few clicks of the mouse I booked myself into the Tower Hotel for a late November weekend at "The Falls." Although the nights leading up to my departure were chilly, I was already feeling a new warmth in my heart.

Using Greyhound as my personal chauffeur, I stared out the window for most of the two-hour bus ride. Light snow had started to fall, making for a beautiful view as we rolled closer to our destination.

As we pulled into town I was reminded again how, time after time, the place had always taken my breath away. There is a serene beauty about it that's hard to describe, and during the winter months it's even more captivating. Once I heard the first rush of the falls, I was confident I had retreated to the right place to start the process of healing my broken heart.

After checking in, I decided the night was too gorgeous to keep myself locked up indoors. Bundling up, I made my way down the hill towards the falls. Instantly, the continuous sound of the falls made me forget the numbness that was setting into my fingertips. There truly is something about the sound of rushing water that makes me skip a breath or two. After getting as close as I could, I closed my eyes for a moment and just took it all in. I wanted to allow the sound a moment to soothe my aching soul and weary heart.

Then, I saw them.

Whether they were young or old, newlyweds or veterans, the weather didn't deter these couples from enjoying their slow, loving stroll past the falls. Some were holding hands; others had their arms linked. The wounded romantic in me even assisted a few couples with pictures in front of the falls, with the gentle mist and snowflakes framing their love. It felt to me like this experience held a special place within their relationship. Whether it was their first long weekend away, or a return to where they had enjoyed their honeymoon, I knew they were there to rekindle their love.

The quietness of the city during the winter months is truly something special. After walking around for a couple of hours in the mist, enjoying the magic of the lights on the rocks, and of course the sound, I retreated back to my hotel for the night. I left the lights off, opened my drapes and watched the scene from the privacy of my room. I let the silent tears fall, and knew this was what I truly needed to start putting my broken heart back together.

My full day at the falls was filled with walking through snow-dusted streets and finding my own inner warmth within the frosty temperatures. I visited all the attractions, and enjoyed myself the way a tourist is supposed to. The fullness of the day allowed me no time to sit and wallow. Niagara Falls was my heart's companion and within those moments, she took great care of me.

The last night of my weekend escape was a moment I've cherished to this day. I walked down the hill and made my way to a bench that gave me a complete view of all the people strolling past nature's beauty. Seated there, for the next couple of hours I allowed the sounds of the falls to comfort my soul. As I watched the couples from a distance, I realized that a broken heart wasn't meant to stay broken forever. This moment I was going through was going to get better, and the love that I saw between those couples was something I knew I would experience again. I truly believe that no other place and no other time of year would have allowed me to come to this realization. The bitter cold of the falls brought some kind of inner strength to the surface and allowed it to shine through, and I was grateful for that experience.

It was a different me that boarded my Greyhound chauffeur for the trip home. The bitterness and deep aching hurt within me had vanished, to be replaced with a calmness that allowed me to know I would get through this. Later, during times when my heart would want to hurt, the sound of the rushing currents would come back to me and I could feel yet another broken piece inside me was mended. The memory of that weekend stays with me always, and reminds me of why Niagara Falls holds a special place in my heart.

Since that unforgettable weekend, every November I have treated myself to an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, and returned to the serene and slow moments that Niagara Falls offers during the winter months. As soon as I arrive I spend a few hours looking at the falls and being forever grateful that their frigid and frosty beauty helped to restore the warmth and fullness within my heart.

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