Dear reader,

We’ve been quarantined for weeks now, and a definitive end is not yet in sight. Some of us have spouses, live-ins, children, and grandchildren all trying to make the best of it every day with the ordinary life we once knew on hiatus. As an adult, it’s difficult to let go of the stresses that come with responsibility. And, with our traditional routines waylaid and the certainties we once had in question, it is easy to fall into a tiresome and stress induced loop of waiting.

When many of life’s extracurricular activities with friends and family have been canceled, it’s hard not to feel like you’re in a state of liminality, an in-between period without access to the usual forms of entertainment, socializing, or release. The anticipations and excitements that used to be in place may feel gone, and the once awaited weekend may now seem like another segment of days within a month.

But, if you consider this time divorced from the ingrained structure of adult life and liberated from the self-induced pressures that come with it, a whole new world can be awakened— one of enthusiasm, creativity, expression, and excitement, one in which to celebrate the inner you that has taken a backseat to the pressures of daily life.

You can have very little and still have the world. It’s what you make of it. My six-year old grandson has been having the imaginary adventures of his life with a simple cardboard box. Sometimes, the simpler pursuits in life provide true meaning and value. It’s all about perspective.

Patrick Wood

Publisher