^{Fujifilm X-E1, 27mm equivalent, f7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO400}

They say you never step into the same river twice, because it is constantly moving and changing. When allowing for the concept of time, this is the case for everything; the only difference is the timeframe.

We consider natural processes as static or dynamic. The development of a peat bog could be considered static, a flash flood as dynamic. But this is relative to our own timeframe. The reality is that natural processes are constantly in motion, evolving the landscape around us. Take a beach – grains of sand are moving all the time. Water flows across the beach from streams in a hillside, waves lap and recede. Every action moves grains of sand or even pebbles. The beach is never the same, it is in a constant state of change, it is dynamic.

Now, take a weathering rock. The weathering and erosion processes are constantly progressing but in a time and physical scale that we cannot perceive. Chemical transformation of the crystals in the rock occurs slowly, leading to the breakdown of the rock material and a reduction of their physical strength which then makes them vulnerable to physical weathering processes.

Its all happening, just at a scale and timeframe that we cant visualise. To appreciate that, is to appreciate your own role and significance in these processes, in the evolution of the landscape and your place within it.

So the next time you are looking out over the landscape in front of you, see if you can imagine the dynamics going on within. Imagine the billions of molecules and particles all moving about. Speed it up in your minds eye and imagine how the landscape in front of you is going to change over the centuries, millennia and millions of years. And question what is driving this? And then consider your own place within this, your own frustrations and think, do they really matter??