You could hardly have put in a better argument for all that I've been missing spending this last year embedded largely in non-fiction. There really is a meditative and "lucid" element, as you say, to reading fiction that you can't always get elsewhere. Sometimes I can stupidly convince myself that with all there is to read, that it's important for every book I welcome into my life to give me some new information. But in reality, I've gotten more from fiction than I ever have from the world of more rigid, factual writing. This was wonderfully written, Mimosa. Thank you as always for submitting! And have a happy New Years!!