Last night we watched a Nature special on the wildlife of Cuba. Beautiful, funny, terrifying. (I'd forgotten how these depictions of animal life always include the element of menace: a baby sea turtle, hours old, madly paddling her way across the sand to the ocean, the deep water that is, for her, relative safety; we … Continue reading The interdependence of life
pandemic
Any way the wind blows
Spring in my town is like this: sunrainwindhailsunrainsleetsunwind, windwindwindwindwin, sun. Sometimes, that's all in one day. This pandemic is like that too, highs and lows and everything in between, all in a single day. Good news = sun, bad news = rain, that cough I have every spring due to allergies = a hailstorm of … Continue reading Any way the wind blows
Our ability to protect one another
Yesterday, my sweetheart went to the grocery store. He was prepared with a fabric mask and a list of what will last us for a couple of weeks. He was not prepared for how many folks he observed ignoring the distancing rules and not wearing masks. Fellow humans, we can protect one another by making … Continue reading Our ability to protect one another
Absorbing change
We are all absorbing change at a tremendously rapid rate, re-arranging life and trying to figure everything out in the last few weeks. Work, home, school, all changed. Like a flood of water cascading downhill, carving new channels through what we thought was unchangeable granite. This is the time to reach out to anyone who … Continue reading Absorbing change
The big picture
My challenge and aspiration, today, is to maintain a focus on the big picture. I work in higher education, an industry which is having to rapidly adjust its operations. We are scrutinizing every detail of how courses are offered, how students are supported, and how campuses can function. In this, we are not alone; just … Continue reading The big picture
Doubling up
Yes, starting tomorrow, at our house we'll be doubling up on working from home. I teach and manage an academic program at our local university. My hours are flexible, and I have taught online for years - so I feel pretty lucky compared to many. My sweetheart works a facilities maintenance job on campus. His … Continue reading Doubling up
In this together
I suppose it should go without saying that we are all in this together. I find myself frustrated by what appears to be the fueling of petty feuds and escalation of minor problems, when it seems we should be focused entirely on keeping our communities well and safe. And yet, we human beings continue to … Continue reading In this together
Nobody told me there’d be days like these
With credit to John Lennon for writing that line borrowed from his song "Nobody Told Me," nobody told us there'd be days like these. I had a day yesterday like we'll all have, sooner or later, more than once, most likely. A day heavy with the weight of worry, grief, fear, anger. It was tough … Continue reading Nobody told me there’d be days like these
Start a circle
Social distancing and stay-at-home orders are affecting so many of us. Distance can too easily tip into isolation. I've started a couple of email "circles," just small groups of friends and family checking in via email as we feel able to. We are keeping up with each others' health, work, and day-to-day situations. It feels … Continue reading Start a circle
The air we breathe
More than ever, we are confronted by the reality that we are all connected. The air you breathe is the air I breathe. None of the divisions that we tend to create - political or social - mean anything to a virus. To a virus, we are simply hosts, passing breath to breath. Perhaps it … Continue reading The air we breathe
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 