April 18, 2020

I’m too tired tonight to be coherent. Don’t worry, though, there was no news that cannot wait until tomorrow.

Just one thing:

I hear from folks again and again that they are tired, unsettled, and scared.

That is pretty darned reasonable. When I first read about the coronavirus in early January, I wrote about it and then deleted the paragraph because I decided my readers were already too stressed out to have to worry about a deadly disease and, really, it was too dystopian to think that, on top of everything else going on, we might have to face a pandemic.

And now, here we are.

And still, as our deaths mount, the rest of our crises have not backed off. News continues to come relentlessly of political maneuvers that seem to threaten our democracy, our society, and our planet.

It is altogether reasonable to be concerned.

But here is the thing:

Being concerned is half the battle. It means you're paying attention, and that, in turn, means you can stand up for what you believe in. It's when no one is paying attention that we are helpless to change the course of events.

It is also true that while politics, society, and the economy throughout history always change, our family, our friends, and our faith-- in democracy, religion, or whatever you believe in—continue to abide.

Enjoy a respite from the craziness. I’ll be back up and running tomorrow.

[Photo by Buddy Poland.]