Rice Paddies Gleaming

Yesterday was a Monday on steroids. I kept feeing all weekend as if a vacation were beginning ... even though I knew one wasn't. I came to the office and dutifully wrote, edited and interviewed. But I was longing to be away from my desk.

So for today's post, a mental vacation, a memory. Two years ago, I was preparing for a trip to Bangladesh. It was a daunting assignment. I was interviewing dozens of people, many of them victims of human trafficking. And, to make me even more anxious, I was leading a writing workshop.

It all worked out, led to experiences and friendships I will never forget. So today, I'm thinking of Bangladesh, of the people there who have so little but give so much. Of sodden green pond banks, of rice paddies gleaming and jute drying in the sun.