Sunrise over the Pond in December is a dynamic watercolor painting with ever-increasing light. Since adopting a puppy this fall, I have seen my fair share of sunrises. One morning three otters gathered near the pond shore, the first carried a fish in its mouth and the other two played follow the leader. Another dawn the Pond was like glass and seemed to be a bird’s paradise, with every species you could imagine basking in the early morning glow.

On these quiet mornings, when my feet have drawn me to the Pond, I find myself trying to answer a deceptively simple question my husband asked: Why are people drawn to water?

Water is the source of life, whether we are contemplating of the origins of life on earth...