Everything's gradual

I stood on the beach once, like old King Canute, and waited for the tide to come up to me. I imagined that at some point a wave would roll in and that would be it. Instead, the sand became saturated and I started to sink well before the waves hit my boots. The tide seeps in under the sand, hidden from sight and its there when the waves break.

Spring rolls in like that. I was out today walking in the woods and its a real transition time. The warm sun and singing birds tell me its spring, but the cold mud, the occasional ice patch, and the bare browns and grays tell me its still not far from winter. Change is coming, but its coming at its own pace, not all at once, but a little at a time.

The works of men and women are like this too. Law, especially in the common law tradition, changes ever so gradually, layers and layers of subtly shifting precedent evolve into something else--even its opposite over time. We grow like this too, both physically and psychologically. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago? Probably not, and most likely you can't pinpoint one event that changed you. When you want something right away, or you want something or someone to change right away, keep this in mind. Not much worth happening happens all at once.