What a week! I released several island marble butterflies! It was dreamy. I am so honored to be involved with this sort of work. A lot of it is examining small creatures under scopes and getting the humidity *exactly* right and sanitizing many dishes. But then you get moments like this!

I love Easter candy. I have really fond memories of Easter as a kid…the egg hunt in our large backyard (we hosted every single year) with all the cousins was a sight to behold. Graduating to being the egg hider was also an exciting step.

I know this Easter holds some mixed feelings for Catholics, with Pope Francis’s passing. I’ve been deconstructing the impact of religion on myself for the past 6 years or so. So I have a lot of mixed feelings, too. I was in St. Peter’s Square when Francis was elected. It was mayhem! It was special! It was historic! I have a lot of warmth for that memory.

In some ways, it’s somewhat similar to ex situ conservation work (raising an animal away from its habitat for eventual release) and zookeeping. There’s a lot of things about religion that aren’t glamorous, that are hard, that you have to slog through. And then you get those papal election moments, those glorious breaks in the monotony.

There are a lot of differences, too. There’s a reason I’m no longer Catholic. I didn’t drift away from religion. I was decisive and intentional and it was a hard decision. But I thought that parallel was interesting, and is something I will be unpacking in therapy next week.

I forgot to ask you a question last week! A glaring oversight! What’s a glory you’ve experienced lately? Was it simple, historic, special, and/or, absolute mayhem? Reply to this email if you feel like it!