Things We See and Things We Don't

I regularly observe incoming waves for long stretches of time. So much so, that I did a little digging into the development and patterns of waves. Some of what I discovered is that while wind may be primarily responsible for the formation of waves, the largest determining factor with regard to how a wave presents or interacts with the coastline is what lies beneath it. Underlying components and influences - the things we do not see, have the ultimate say in what those of us gazing from the shore inevitably do.

I’m similarly obsessed with the sand. Some time ago, I began taking photos of the different patterns I would encounter on my walks. I soon noticed that there were a number of regular motifs I could reliably look forward to seeing on any given morning. Yet with almost every visit, I would find an outlier. Or perhaps a strange or subtle change among the deeply grooved or thoroughly ridged occurrences I had grown accustomed to. 

So I began taking the time to study receding tides. Observing how the water and wind would influence the sand’s appearance. Sometimes the patterns developed precisely how I thought they would. And other times, in ways I would never have imagined.

Occasionally a single wave would disturb an otherwise ceaseless pattern and leave a mark on everything in its literal wake. It takes just one incident. One unforeseen event to permanently alter what remains for us to see or encounter after the fact. Often, the change is slight - producing a barely noticeable exception. Other times, however, the divergence from what previously existed is pronounced. And those who weren’t there for it will never know or understand why.

But we decide how we choose to view it. Is it catastrophic or contemplative? A pattern to be discounted and dismissed for its radical irregularity, or observed and admired for its variant beauty? All eyes discern differently. What I am sure of, is that the things we see and the things we don’t are exquisite reminders that we humans are reliable reflections of nature’s way.