Gemotions

He flipped through the list, a faded sheet of paper clutched in his hand. “See the Northern Lights.” His father had never been one for grand gestures, which made the list even more startling. He’d always been a man of quiet routine.

The familiar ache in his jaw, the one that always accompanied his grief, seemed to loosen its grip. A new tingle replaced it. He started researching flights to Iceland, ignoring the knot of anxiety that usually formed in his stomach when planning something out of his comfort zone.

The next day, he felt himself smiling at the cashier at the grocery store. He struck up a conversation about the weather, something he would have usually avoided. The world, previously muted, had burst into color. He'd find those lights, he decided, for his father, and for himself.