I wriggle under the tedium of computer work like a first grader waiting for recess. I can’t say no to the sun when she seduces me with her shimmering vitamin D. I hike through the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and listen to the river where a fluid luminosity dances on the water. I catch a quiet gasp in my throat when a beaver abruptly breaks the spell of moving water. My gaze follows the sleek chestnut coat underwater and out of sight. I feel a venerated sort of renewal in the serendipitous connection to bear me through an afternoon in the office.

~Joy