A Thursday that feels like Friday.

For various reasons, I feel incredibly unprepared.

Something is off. Maybe it’s the nose ring. Maybe it’s the sobering reality of returning from a vacation. Maybe it’s the gray morning. Maybe it’s something I will never know.

He beat me to the office today. He tells me about his paper and a new citation tool his advisor showed him and

I can see it on her face as soon as I walk in.

I cancel the games and tell them I’m happy I got to see so many of them this summer. They send back gratitudes.

We tell her that once those sliding glass doors close, this is a safe space.

She asks a question, and I laugh so hard I spit water out onto my computer. And I can’t stop laughing.

Five of us are in the office. We need a day like this. I am pouring water into a wine glass from a large pitcher. She is giving her a lesson on social media. And she is also giggling quietly; it will take her some time to realize she’s safe with us. And she is trying to actually do some work, but there is no way she can focus with all of the giggling going on.

I feel a little guilty, a little sad, a little frustrated, a little lucky.