Abby got a Spy Kit for Christmas, and it delighted me to watch her unpack all the elements. I still aim to find joy in small things: a barely-working compass, a disappearing pen, and messages coded so secretly that only a red lens reveals the true message. I felt disillusioned when I learned how to read the text without the red gels.

This picture is of our family friend, Jared Wright, a fully grown man who works at a bank.