We are surrounded by pictures and it takes something extraordinary to make us stop and take notice. This is one of these extraordinary pictures. Two hands reaching dipped into the water, reaching out to this extraordinarily beautiful whale.

A tourist on a boat in Laguna San Ignacio reaches into the water in the hope of petting one of many gray whales that frequent the bay to mate and care for their young. Once feared by fishermen, the unusually friendly animals are now a crucial part of the economy. (This photo was originally published in “Baja California’s Recipe for Saving Fishing Communities,” in September 2017. PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS P. PESCHAK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)

What makes this picture so exceptional in my view is the contrast between the two ‘creatures’ and the reaching out by each in their own way to the other.

I’m still not back working and living with Pádraig, though I’m getting there. I thought I’d be much better today, but then when I tried, I realised that I wasn’t. I know whatever I’m dealing with is something that can be dealt with, that time does make ‘go away’. That’s one thing time is good for.