A few days ago, I posted some images of some carefully balanced rocks that were at the water’s edge. A couple of days later they were no longer there. Today, in between rain showers I took a walk and saw some more stacked stones.

When I had stopped to take a couple of photos, I saw that a man who was on the beach was watching me. I asked if he was the one who had balanced the rocks, and he said no. Then he asked if I had seen the balanced wood.

Hidden from my view at first, behind a large boulder, someone had balanced a large piece of driftwood horizontally across a smaller vertical piece of wood. The man said that he thought the wood was a much more impressive demonstration of balance than the rocks, but the rocks were prettier. I had to agree.

When I was on my return journey, I stopped to take one more picture of the balanced wood and right after I clicked the shutter, just one second later, a wave knocked them over and both pieces floated towards the shore.

I am glad I was there for that perfect moment. Now I am thinking about balance, beauty, and how fast things can change. I’m also made newly aware of the selflessness it takes to be content in placing things so delicately that they may become unbalanced in a heartbeat.