To stand at the edge of the sea
to sense the ebb and flow of the tides
to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh
to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept
up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of year
to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea
is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal
as any earthly life can be.
– Rachel Carson
