Gemotions

The Monday morning meeting, usually a source of dread, felt different today. A quiet joy hummed beneath the surface of Carol's workday.

She looked at her coworker, Ben, who was trying to stifle a yawn. She remembered their conversation from Friday.

“You went to Camp Willow Creek?” Ben had asked, a look of genuine surprise on his face.

"Yes," she had replied, her voice soft.

That conversation had been a turning point. She felt an urge to help Ben when he was struggling with a report. This new connection, this shared history, made the office feel less like a battlefield and more like… something else.