Sometimes nature has a way of compensating me for things that go wrong in life. I was out trying to pass time waiting for (minor) dental surgery after one of my wisdom teeth broke and infected my jaw earlier in the week when this map turtle walked across my path. It is only the third or fourth map turtle I have seen over the years and definitely the biggest. It was trying to get to the water but a large embankment of rocks was in its way. Along with people passing by that caused the turtle to hide in its shell for a few minutes until the coast was clear, it took over an hour for the turtle to get to the water. I heard the turtle splash into the water but once in the water it disappeared into a haze, kind of like how later I was in a dental chair and the next thing I knew my wisdom tooth disappeared and I was being told I could leave. Apparently I was so “happy” afterwards that when I left the building I decided to wander off through the parking lot to enjoy the “most beauuuutiful day!” only to have to be corralled into the car by my mother who was my “responsible adult” home.