I gifted a puzzle. What I got in return is priceless.

Happy Monday, DMV*! It’s March 23.

Every now and then, I meet people that I am meant to meet. It happens by chance, through a series of circumstances. And this person will deliver a message or a gift. They will fulfill a need. That happened to me this weekend.

Remember my beloved puzzle — that helped me through work stress and brought me to a place of zen? I had offered it in this newsletter as a gift. Several readers emailed expressing interest. Among them was Chris Montone, who wanted it for his wife Linda, an “avid puzzler.”

All things considered — geography and other factors — I chose this couple because the path was straightforward and clear. After some back and forth emails to organize the puzzle handoff, Chris told me he and Linda are converted Buddhists, so they decided to come meet me over the weekend when I was at my Buddhist temple.

While chatting under the warm sun at a picnic table on the temple grounds, they told me that they’re meditation instructors. And this was the moment I realized I was meant to meet them.

Since getting laid off, I told them, I’ve struggled with time, space and presence. Many readers told me this problem stemmed from tying my identity to my work. I told myself this wasn’t true. But through discussion with Chris and Linda, I came to understand what readers meant: I’d tied my daily routine to work. Each hour of each day was framed around work: wake up — for work; yoga — before or after work; time with family — after work. Losing work meant losing my daily routine. It’s hard for me to find my sense of balance again.

After our brief discussion, we parted ways. Later that night, Chris sent me an essay titled “The Balance of Imbalance” from a Substack called Words of Taoism. It spoke to me.

The author of the essay suggests softening my grip, cooperating with change and “making peace with the sway.” Images came to my mind: bamboo swaying in the wind, underwater grasses rippling with a river’s currents. I felt an internal shift.

In yoga yesterday, when the instructor cued the class to set an intention for the practice, I chose the word “sway” and visualized myself as bright green subaquatic grass — rooted and lithe.

Carrie Ann Alford, 50, of Alexandria, Virginia, went yesterday with her dog Goose for an outing yesterday at Theodore Roosevelt Island in the Potomac River in D.C.

“It’s a beautiful day to be at Roosevelt Island!” she wrote to me in an email. “My dog and I have ‘Sunday adventures’ most Sundays, but this winter was so brutal, that was put on hold. We’re both very excited to be back outside!”

The trees in the photo above, she said, are at the edge of the island when crossing the bridge from the parking lot.

“They were a lovely champagne color and shimmering in the breeze and caught my attention.”

This second photo is from the end of the walk.

“This is actually our first time back at TR island in about 3 1/2 years! Goose, a French Brittany, looooves people so he's easy to take out for walks/hikes. He loves Rock Creek Park, Jones Point Park/Alexandria Waterfront and most of all the Tidal Basin, so we were going there a lot but with construction and now cherry blossom madness I was looking for a good place to get in a good long walk and find a parking space ... TR delivered!”

* For those of you wondering: The DMV is how residents here call the D.C. region, which includes Maryland and Virginia. I’d get emails from people asking about this every few weeks. Now you know.

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