As I was sipping my morning coffee, I looked out into the backyard and saw something I never expected to see: a chipmunk having what appeared to be the time of his tiny little life with… a worm. He hurled it in the air, chased after it, tapped it with its tiny paws, and jumped playfully each time the worm wiggled. He was completely captivated. I must admit I have never seen a chipmunk playing just like a cat or a dog would with its favorite toy. I think of chipmunks as busy foragers, scurrying in and out of the ferns, stuffing their little cheeks with nuts, and diving for cover whenever I step outside my kitchen door. It caught me off guard, but at the same time, it was oddly charming.
A short time later, I was driving on I-20 and looked up in time to see roughly 2 dozen Canada geese flying overhead in jagged formation. A second flock of Canada geese followed, but flying in the opposite direction, two V-formations of geese passing each other in the August sky. First the chipmunk, then the geese. Both moments had a surreal quality: something familiar behaving in a way I didn't expect, catching my attention and making the ordinary world suddenly feel a little more alive. I decided it was C’s way of making me laugh.