My essay in the paper

What a joy today to open my local newspaper, the Marin Independent Journal, and see my published essay, “Slowing down while sheltering in place.” I’m grateful to the Marin IJ for publishing work by writers who live in our community. The piece grew out of posts I’d written here and on Facebook. Looking at them together, I realized several could be combined for a broader narrative arc. Love when that happens, because it rarely does. xo Here’s the first paragraphs: We’re at week four of sheltering in place. Like most people, we’re not used to so much isolation coupled with nonstop togetherness. There’s no escape. When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the initial order to stay home for two weeks, and our kids’ high school shut down, we dismissed it as impossible. “How will we manage?” we asked, washing our hands and checking our toilet paper supply. Now two weeks feels like a nanosecond. Quarantine and remote learning are the new normal.