Val stood in her closet, staring at her wardrobe. She had unknowingly created uniforms for herself. For work, she wore slacks, a tank top, and a brightly-colored cardigan. She was usually cold at work, so a sweater always seemed prudent. Sometimes she got a little daring and added a scarf. On the weekends, it was jeans and casual shirts or sweaters. She only owned two dresses, mostly to be worn on special occasions or holidays.

Val decided that there was no time like the present to start being her more adventurous self. She picked up a scarf she had purchased in Paris, the price tag off even though the trip was over a year ago. It was a nice color and matched a couple of her work cardigans, but the style was bolder than what she usually wore. She decides to make a break from the usual and wear it.

Today is the day to finally wear this, she thought. Putting it around her neck, she looked at her shoe selection, next. Normally, she would pick the sensible black flats that went with everything. But not today. Today, she slid into some canary yellow flats. Val wasn’t 100% sure they matched the outfit but figured no one would look too closely. She left the apartment, feeling a little bounce in her step.

When she walked in the door of her favorite Starbucks, the barista looked up, noticed her, and went to work making her usual coffee. Val smiled a little; it was nice to be known, but today was the start of new things. She interrupted the barista and asked him to recommend a new drink instead.

“You don’t want your usual vanilla latte?” the barista asked with a surprised look on his face. “Ok, umm, sure. Well, we have a couple of new fruit-flavored smoothies or maybe you’d like a green tea latte?”

“Yes, that sounds perfect—a green tea latte,” responded Val. She was excited to try something new and happy at how easy it was to start changing her routine.

White cup in hand, Val continued her usual route to work, flipping between radio stations like an impatient Chihuahua. She thought about other ways to continue this transformation into new and exciting Val 2.0. Did she need to change everything? Where was the line between routine and “wild and crazy”? She knew it wouldn’t stop at picking a new morning beverage, but she didn’t think she needed to reboot every little thing in her life. Pulling into her spot, she rode the elevator to the 4^th floor and walked through the Anderson Engineering doors.

“Good morning, Anna.”

“Hi, Val. Happy hump day.”

Val smirked a little as she entered her office and booted up her computer. Today was hump day, but it was going to be the day she got on with the business of getting over the hump in her life. Before she could get her email open, her boss poked his head into her office.

“Val, we’re going to have a staff meeting on Friday. Got someone coming in to give a presentation, so let’s get some bagels and muffins and stuff. Tell Anna, will you?”

“Sure, John.” Val’s gears began spinning.

With such a small office, a staff meeting was rare. When they did happen, it was usually to announce a big, new project or change in the office. The last staff meeting had dropped a couple of bombs from the board of directors. Big changes to a number of their projects and setbacks in others left the staff reeling. Afterward, Val and Steve had to scramble to put out the resulting fires. Since John preferred to meet with people individually or in small groups to get everyday work done, this all-staff meeting was out of the ordinary. Val’s mind immediately began jumping to conclusions. Perhaps there would be staff layoffs this time or some sort of restructuring. Val was mentally preparing for a big surprise—and not a good one.

Trying to get her mind off the ominous possibilities of the meeting, Val ate lunch at her desk that afternoon. She used the downtime after inhaling her sandwich and diet soda to research a possible trip. What about Asia? Maybe Africa. She didn’t have the slightest clue what she was looking to do. Considering her trip to Paris turned into a tourist trap, how could she make this trip different and more adventurous?

Her internet research was interrupted by the phone ringing. She picked up her office phone and was greeted by the sound of her mother’s voice.

“Hi, Mom. What’s going on?”

“Just checking up on you. I hadn’t heard from you in a while, so I decided to pick up the phone. What’s new?” said Nan.

“I’m trying to figure out how to add excitement back into my life. I keep talking about wanting adventure and travel, but all I seem to do is sit in my apartment and read or hang out with the girls. I need to start walking the talk.”

“What about Paris? That was exciting. Why don’t you plan another trip? You must have vacation time since the last time you went anywhere was last year.”

“That’s what I’m thinking about doing. Somewhere really out there though. Maybe Africa or Asia. But what do I do there? How will I know where to go or who to talk to?” Val worried.

“You don’t have to travel if you’re nervous about it. How about a class? You liked that pottery class you took.”

“Mom, that was years ago. And yes, I did like it. I’ve liked all the classes I’ve taken, but I feel like I’ve taken everything interesting. Pottery, painting, writing, knitting. The list goes on. Unless I start to get really obscure, I’m not sure what else is out there for me to try. Juggling flaming batons?”

“What about meeting a nice boy? That would spice things up. You haven’t been seeing anyone since Jared. Or have you? Got anyone I should know about?” asked Nan teasingly.

“No, mom. Jared was my last attempt at the world of dating. I’m sure I’ll find someone else; I’m just not that interested right now. Unless you know someone who is looking to whisk a girl off to an exotic location tomorrow. That I would be interested in.”

“Ha ha. If I had friends with eligible bachelor children, I’d be introducing you right quick. Not that I’m pressuring you—when you’re ready, I’m ready for grandchildren.” Val could hear her mom’s smile through the phone. Nan had a long career in pediatric medicine and she loved spending time with kids. Her mom would love grandkids of her own one day.

“Got it, mom. Loud and clear. But you might want to put the fire under Michael’s butt about grandkids. He’ll be the one to settle down way before me. He’s already on those online dating sites and has talked about getting married one day. I can’t figure out how to venture outside my daily routines, much less meet eligible bachelors.”

“We’ll see, Val. I’ve got a feeling that you can’t escape the settling down either. You’re too much in your own head. You can have both, excitement and someone who loves you for yourself.”

“Mom, you’re starting to sound like Bri. I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Ok, honey. Talk to you soon. Love you!”

“Bye, mom. Love you too.” Val hung up.

Thoughts swirled in her mind for the rest of the day. She rotated between wondering what this all-hands meeting would bring and asking herself if a big, exciting trip would satisfy the unsettled feeling she had. Distracted by her thoughts, she could hardly focus on work.

The day went by quickly as Val snuck peeks at travel websites in between work tasks, but she wasn’t able to devote much time to it until she got home. After making a quick dinner of pasta, she ordered two travel books—one on Asia and one on Africa. Thank goodness it would only take two days for the books to arrive. She couldn’t wait to flip through the pages and narrow down her search to a more specific destination.

I’m almost past just talking about an exciting life; I’m making it happen with this trip. Val thought to herself as she changed into her pajamas. She climbed into bed and, to settle herself before falling asleep, she decided to read a new book that was calling her name. Instead of her usual mystery or sci-fi novel, it was more along the lines of self-help. It didn’t hold her interest like the prospect of the travel books did, but she hoped it would help her better understand why she fell into her rut in the first place. Before she could unlock the answers, her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off.

By the time Friday rolled around, Val couldn’t wait to find out what this special meeting was all about. She spent all week imagining the best, and worst, and it was time to put her mind at ease. She stopped at a nearby cafe for bagels, coffee, and pastries for the big staff meeting before heading into the office.

I hope whatever John is going to drop on us this morning is not terrible. Business has been pretty good, so I hope it’s not anything like layoffs, thought Val.

She pulled into the parking lot and balanced all the baked goods as she walked up to the building and rode the elevator to the fourth floor. After helping Anna set up the food and coffee in the conference room, she swung by Steve’s office to see what he thought.

“So, what do you think this meeting that John is calling is all about?”

“I have no clue. I’ve been looking over the books and we’re doing pretty well. We just put more cash in reserves and we have contracts booked out over the next year. Maybe John’s got some wild idea?” Steve was the resident accountant, office manager, and sometimes HR manager. With a small office, he wore several hats, as did all the employees. Val was marketing and communications but also pitched in on IT and website issues. And picked up bagels when the occasion called for it.

“John’s been traveling so much we haven’t had much of a chance to catch up on things, so I’m clueless, too. At least we get a bagel and coffee out of it,” said Val.

She gathered up her phone, a notepad, and a pen and headed down the hall to grab a seat for the meeting. Half of

her co-workers had already taken their seats and the rest were still arriving. With 10 employees plus an extra speaker for this meeting, the small conference room would be full.

John walked in with a man dressed in casual clothing. The chatter in the conference room stopped and bagels were put down as everyone got a good look at the guest. His face was handsome in a traditional way. He had a square jaw and light brown eyes, and his slightly messy, light brown hair looked like it could use a haircut. He was not freshly shaven, but his skin was tan enough that she could tell he spent a fair amount of time outside. Her eyes were drawn down from his face to a small charm he wore on a leather cord as a necklace.

This wasn’t someone who worked in a cubicle all day; this was someone who enjoyed the outdoors and could rely on his skills to get things done. He wore a green button-up shirt and khaki cargo pants. They matched but nothing looked pressed or creased. Brown work boots completed the look of a man just stopping by the office, not of a man that worked in one. The mysterious man looked around the room, seemingly comfortable despite all eyes being on him, while John turned on a laptop and connected it to the projector.

Val was taken by this new person in the conference room. She had seen handsome guys who worked outdoors for a living, but she had never dated one. Jared, her last boyfriend, was completely different than this windswept man—he spent most of his time in an office or on calls and his style showed it. He preferred a preppy look and liked his shirts dry-cleaned. This guy was different. He was handsome, yes, but more than that, he seemed confident. Jared wore his clothing, but he didn’t own them like this stranger did.

John cleared his throat, distracting Val from her thoughts. “Let’s get started, people. We’re changing it up today. I want to introduce our guest, Adam Cabrera. Adam is a program director for East Africa in Engineers Serving Across the Globe. While he went to school for engineering, he decided to take his studies in a different direction and go into nonprofit work. ESAG is doing a lot of good work in places that could use engineering support, like certain areas of India and Africa.

John continued, “I met Adam at a meeting of the local ESAG chapter. A colleague told me about the chapter, and I went to a meeting to see what it was all about. I was blown away. I’d like to see Anderson Engineering expand into more nonprofit work. Adam and his group offered us a chance to do more than just write a check. Maybe we can partner on a project, maybe we can fundraise locally. Keep your mind open as Adam gives his talk, and let’s see if we can come up with a way for us to team up. Take it away, Adam,” said John.

Adam calmly stepped to the center of the room. He took the remote offered by John and began talking.