It started with a drive to Colorado. An escape from routine, from pandemic isolation; a change of scenery. Along the way, somewhere in Texas off of I-20, Mike wanted to pull over for a picture of the bluebonnets. Larsson protested, preemptively tired from the long drive ahead of them, but Mike pulled over anyway.

That day, they discovered something truly beautiful, their eyes swimming in the sea of delicate petals alongside the familiar and endless asphalt road. Larsson was pleasantly surprised and surprisingly grateful.

In Colorado, the beauty stood out in contrast to “home.” The impressive mountains and wide, burnt sienna fields reminded them of the beauty in the world. Getting away shifted something in them.