Lizard with no name

I'm not really frowning
Laval, QC
August 2014
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Photography tip #1,592 in an ongoing series: set aside some time to wander through your photo archives. You never know what you'll come across, and how profoundly the experience might brighten your mood.

Today's example, a lizard from long ago, comes to us from a pet store just north of Montreal. We had come here in 2014 to visit family, and as was often the case, it involved hospital visits and hushed conversations about what may or may not happen next.

I had planned an afternoon of activities to keep the kids occupied. And as we often did, we stopped off on the way back for treats. Of course I parked near a pet store, and of course we had to go in.

For reasons that extend beyond the confines of an Instagram post, pet stores aren't much of a thing anymore. But on this afternoon, far from home, this one served its purpose as a place where our kids could hang out with brightly colored birds, exotic-looking fish, and infinitely curious lizards for just long enough to forget the reason we had come to this city in the first place.

The world needs more oases like this. So do our kids. All of us, really.

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