For eons our eyes have been adapting, evolving, if you will, to the world on which we live.

They are attuned to the spectrums of light and color surrounding us.

Other animals have eyes that see in different spectrums, and they see more or less than we do.

But our brains have gained the ability to see the beauty in nature, and to enjoy it.

Our eyes are not just specialized for night vision; in fact, we have very poor night vision. We do not have the telescopic sight of the hunting birds, the finely tuned ability to spot movement of the cats, but we have very good all-round vision for many situations.

We do not use our eyes merely to acquire food or other necessities.

We can revel in the awesome beauty of a flower, or a sunset, yes, but even the simple aspects of nature catch our eyes.

Sun-dappled leaves, shade dancing in the breeze, the interplay of light and shadow.

The very symmetry and asymmetry of nature are marvelous.

Light allows the colors, and the colors and shapes make us feel at home on this planet.

The beach, where we first dragged our forms from the sea, those many millennia ago…

Where we struggled to take our first breaths, our first steps…

And where our eyes began the adaptations that led us to where we are today.