The year I was born, my name landed at 20 on the girls “Top Baby Names” list. For the decade overall, it came in at 23. It’s no surprise I’ve always known a lot of other Laura’s–they’ve been scattered throughout my life, some of my very best friends throughout the years.

I settle into my hot pink desk chair, a mug of hot coffee in my hands, and gaze out the window. Below me, tracing the sidewalk in front of our house, sunflowers sway wildly in the early morning breeze.