If you stand in the shallow water at the beach, just half a meter from the shore, you will notice ripples passing by now and then. As they pass, they cast beautiful patterns of light and shade onto the sandy bottom just a few centimeters below. Sand, pebbles, and broken shells become a canvas on which ever-changing patterns are painted. In the blink of an eye, they transform into something new. Watching them reminds me of the joy I felt the first time I looked through a kaleidoscope.