Two Shots of a Day. Morning versus Afternoon. And Then News I Will Need a Couple of Days to Process.

The northeast temperatures have been on the rise, so I knew that a prediction of rain wouldn't be too rough for an a.m. run. I left around 10 and made it about 15 minutes before the downpour came. It was all good. I didn't need a hat, scarves, or gloves. It was simply the wet stuff washing the pollen down to the ground. Because I was a good mile out, the rain felt sort of good and refreshing. I love when that happens.

Then I returned to more work behind the screen.

Meeting. Meeting. Meeting. Meeting.

Until 3 p.m. when I went to the store to make purchases for my elderly neighbors. Newsflash: there is nothing in our stores. I feel really, really bad for any and all who are desperate to get staples for everyday living. I'm not quite sure how they will sustain themselves. I had to improvise the best I could to try to match the grocery lists of my desperate neighbors.

And the stores are pretty defensive: plastic barriers, timed entrances, arrows, rations, and boundaries. I read today that Connecticut is doing the job of turning the curve downward in ways other states are not. We are on 3 weeks of absolute lock-down. I am unsure of how other states are handling this --- but if we're achieving, then I say to the rest of the United States, "Pay attention." This is not a joke. Even the bakery aisle was devoid of product: no sugar, no flower, no brownie mixes, no cake mixes.

I mean, I like that my elderly neighbors bake me things. You're making this impossible.

And this is my afternoon look. I went out to the grocery stores in this outfit, and then stopped to get beer and bourbon, knowing that Chitunga will soon be joining Mt. Pleasant. Yes, it's the Cookie Monster bourbon approach, but I looked no different than others heading out in hunt for basic needs.

Okay. Brownies, bourbon, and beer aren't basic needs.

Truth: They're luxury at this point.

I am hoping, though, that my part in staying-home cautiousness, online teaching, and social responsibility pays off. I haven't caught up with the news because, frankly, I don' want to know. I'm trying to maintain a work schedule to make it all go away.

But, just as I signed off from the Internet last night I received news from the Lille Skole in Denmark that my buddy, my mentor, my friend, and my intellectual hero, Lars Møller Kristensen, has passed. To say I was whipped upside the head is an understatement. I will need some time to process this, as lars invested so much unto me and was a wonderful, global brother. The nights I had with him in KY and in Roskilde are irreplaceable. Fire chats. Beer dialogue. Travel. A passion for teachers and kids. I'm a little devastated and need time to think. I just learned.

Phew. My heart is so heavy.