A Purposeful Peek

It’s 7:30am, and she comes floating through the house in her favorite princess dress. An early riser, she shed her pajamas an hour ago and has been roaming freely through the morning, but now she’s decided it’s time to get ready for the day. Her first selection is blue tulle with a velvet bodice and sequin straps. She has a princess wand accessory which she waves around, commanding her kingdom to arise and prepare for the magical day ahead. She is a princess, confident and poised, full of grace.  But 10 minutes later, she momentarily disappears    and returns wearing a knit dress and her favorite sparkly leggings. She’s holding a stuffed bunny, one she rescued and is now responsible for feeding, rocking, and petting. She is a veterinarian, with no regard to her former life as a princess. She’s compassionate, gentle, and totally consumed by this furry little creature.  Within the hour, she has evolved into her final outfit of the morning- a spring top and striped leggings with her favor

This morning, I woke up before anyone in my household, quietly slipped into my hospital scrubs, threw my hair up in a bun, slogged into my snow boots, and headed out into the cold dark morning. I knew it would be an icy commute to work but as I opened the garage door, I stood stunned for a moment, taking in the beauty of it all. A blanket of snow covered everything in sight like a blank canvas, a fresh start, after what had been the most difficult year I can ever remember (both personally and worldwide). The sky and the ground were the same color, and the sun was hours away from showing its face. “Hello there 2021,” I whispered cautiously as I felt myself slowly exhaling a year’s worth of heaviness. I breathed a prayer of thanks for a new year and for the deep knowing that I could face whatever lay in the 12 months ahead. I set out down my neighborhood street, my tires crunching through the thick barrier of perfectly fallen snow. If I could just get to the interstate,  I hoped it would