The Kennington Reservoir, or “Kenni Res” as the locals call it, has suffered greatly under Australia’s persistent drought conditions. Evaporation lowers the lake level each day and at it’s worst much of the lake bed could be walked across.
Recent Spring rain has filled the lake and this is something I’ve not seen for far too long. It looks full to overflowing and that is exactly what is happening today. Just enough water coming in at one end to flow out through the other. I stopped at the lake today to have a look at the water flowing over its spillway (if a one-foot barrier could be called a spillway). The flow is low, no more than a few litres a minute, and I find myself amazed at how water can enter at one end of the lake, have no visible effect on the level, and then flow out the other end. The logic and physics of it all are obvious and yet nature instills wonder.
I’m glad I stopped today and took a short walk downstream. Reeds and grasses have been lain flat as stronger flows than today’s have felt the pull of gravity. It got me thinking about goals and how we can move forward and fast when we have the focus. The water which is entering at one end of the lake could be considered our dreams. Ideas about what we want to achieve. The inlet becomes the lake surface and our dreams get flattened out, barely visible in our lives as they dilute across the vast surface area of the lake. Eventually, out the outlet, there is focus and the water appears to come together and continue it’s journey downstream towards its goal of reaching the ocean. The more water that enters the lake the faster it exits. Many people are content sitting on the surface of the lake enjoying the view. For those of us who aren’t Kenni Res can serve as a reminder to keep pumping in ideas and refining our focus.