Pivot Points and Asymtotes
When I left school on Thursday, March 12, 2020, I had no idea it would be the last normal day. While I sensed an extended spring break was coming, I thought I’d have Friday to wrap things up and collect my missing library books. I awoke on Friday the 13 th to the news that our school system had abruptly announced an immediate closing, but the seriousness of the situation still hadn’t hit me. The coronavirus seemed surreal and somehow far away. We’re not in China. We’re not in Italy. We haven’t been on an International Cruise. I spent the afternoon biking with friends to a brewery to take advantage of the unseasonably warm and unexpected day off. It wasn’t until I went to the grocery store later that day and saw the aisles of empty shelves that it began to sink in. As I looked over random items that were left, I felt a pit in my stomach. We’re not going to starve, I thought, adding split pea soup and rosemary flavored couscous to the cart. Even then, the scope of the pandemic was u...