ephemeral vs eternal

               The more I learn about design concepts, the more I begin to see elements of design in everything around me. Some of the designs I see are large reinforced infrastructure that have weathered decades, others are unintentional and temporary, like a row of trees all blushing with the leaves of fall whose colors compliment each other with our even knowing it. Both ephemeral design, that is created to exist in only a brief parenthesis of time, and eternal design that seems to be ageless and endless have a certain charm all their own. Recently two good examples of each have crossed my path. Both while walking my dog Clover. The first was in the ally behind my apartment. While throwing out the trash I noticed that someone had tossed out a black and white photo taken of some while roses that was developed on a thin metal plate in using a method called daguerreotype that was popular in the 1800's. I could not bring myself to throw my trash on top of such an obvious gem, so I moved it from the dumpster to the outside of a windowsill I passed on my way back home. Later, I noticed it was gone and even though I have no way of knowing where that photo went or of what use or message it is now has, I can't help but delight at the romance that it is in motion, being passed from hand to hand. This unknown cycle along with nature of these photos to last for hundreds of years gives it a very charming, eternal feel.
On yet another voyage with Clover, this time along the American river bank, I stumbled upon a pile of lumber cut to different sizes ranging from 1'-2' long. I carefully balanced these pieces to build an obelisk-like monument about 5' tall. With no camera on hand to capture my amateur architecture debut, I knew as I walked away that all it would take was a spontaneous gust of wind or a wagging tail to reduce this creation to is previous status (pile of junk). That ephemeral state gave it so much more importance for those lucky enough to stumble upon this geometric structure standing proud and erect contrasting the peaceful organic shapes of the river bank. just like the line of line of fall trees only around to enjoy until the leaves inevitably fall, it seems that the fleeting nature of this piece seems to say "this was made for your eyes only" giving it a heightened sense of value.
I think that both these examples show how both eternal, and ephemeral design can move the viewer to a heightened sense of beauty and value in oneself and the world around.