Tide

Joy comes and goes, hope ebbs and flows
Like the wave;
Change doth unknit the tranquil strength of men.
Love tends life a little grace,
A few sad smiles; and then,
Both are laid in one cold place,
In the grave.

~ Matthew Arnold, A Question

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Every time I'm on this particular spot of beach, this creek is different. The tide comes in and absorbs the water, changes the lay of the land, and when the water leaves again, it leaves a new path. Change, by nature something new and variable, is as steady as the tides. Invariably, as soon as you think you know the lay of the land, the tide rolls back in and moves everything around again.