Floating Jewels

Laura Kane, MSN, RN-BC

After the tight restrictions for travel relaxed, one of the first things I was able to do was visit one of my grown children out of state. While there, we visited the gorgeous Duke Gardens. There was so much “blooming life” to take in, but I was particularly mesmerized by the Koi fish in one of the feature ponds. Their fluid movements and translucent colors catching the sunlight made me think of them as floating jewels. As I sat there, soaking up the sun and watching the Koi swim, my son put his arm around my shoulders. I was profoundly aware that suddenly, everything felt…normal. That was the first time I felt untethered from the pandemic since it all began, and I’ll never forget how it changed my outlook. The fluid motion of those floating jewels, and that well-placed hug, stopped me long enough to be in the moment of a perfect, delightful, normal day.