A rainy weekend, a failed driver's test, and a last-minute trip to see UB40 brought me back to freshman year of college—and a time when my whole life still seemed to be waiting ahead of me.

A familiar bike ride along Gordon's Pond Trail becomes a reflection on time, memory, and change. A week before my son's college graduation, I return to one of my favorite places on the Delaware coast, where marshes, dunes, and ocean views have accompanied many seasons of life. Some things change with the years, while others remain waiting around the next bend in the road.