When I first saw this otter, I was walking through a season of compound grief. Yet I couldn’t paint despair. I painted the otter as it was created to be: whole, playful, and moving effortlessly with the current instead of fighting against it. In watching it, I was reminded that healing doesn’t always come by resisting the water, but by learning to move with it. I painted this as a reminder for myself, and for anyone who needs to know that hope can return.