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I nipped outside to see what the air was like (it was fine) and to make sure there were no Marilyn Monroe-inducing winds for those of us with skirts who worry about such things (there weren’t). A small group of us go outside at lunch and these things matter.

Our office park has a walking trail around a lagoon. I swung off onto the secret little path we take as a shortcut, and there a tiny biplane dragonfly found me and decided to stick around. He darted this way and that, unafraid, showing off his pretty wings.

The sun peeked out, the flowers smelled sweet, and all seemed very pastoral.

Then a bird appeared up ahead and winged toward me, and just as I thought I was going to have a Disney moment, the bird swooped down on the dragonfly and ate him.

Nature: Laughing at us for 4.5 billion years.

Well, I can’t help the dragonfly, but I can help us worker bees: When you’re at work all day, even five minutes of a different scene, a refreshing view, an unplanned something that makes you laugh or dream or think is essential to prevent job and career burnout.

Even if you love your job to pieces, you still need to take some kind of a break from it or risk running out of perspective, ideas and sheer gumption. This happens even if you’re in a couch-strewn social media agency or you’ve finally got the corner office with the personal bathroom–or you’re in full-time job search mode.

What do you do to recharge yourself? What’s your Disney moment?

Office with a view