No shortage of time?

The news pounds on each day. Yesterday I saw an article about countries hoarding food, today there is one about hospitals running out of rubber gloves. Then there are offsetting anecdotes of tales of great inventiveness, enterprise and generosity, like people figuring out how to craft makeshift substitutes for medical supplies -- especially masks -- or the Quicken Loan affiliate offering three months free rent to commercial tenants in downtown Detroit. It is a mix of fear and inspiration each day.

On the other hand, with the world ground to a standstill and all of us quasi-stuck in our homes (Chapel Hill's shelter in place order is so full of exceptions it's almost silly), it would seem that we have all the time in the world. Our family is most definitely getting a lot of what Mary has characterized as "quantity time," and sometimes the days seem to pass slowly. We have also been squabbling a little, not surprisingly. We're not all used to being cooped up in the house and the whole thing is definitely scary and therefore stressful. So I've been having to practice staying calm, walking away, coming back, realizing and admitting when I'm wrong, etc.

But there is still always too much to do. Phone calls to answer, board meetings to prep for and actions to take in their wake, magazines and books to read, TV to watch. I am getting a little tired of running, but for the moment it seems like that's the easiest exercise to do. Probably soon it will be time to dust off the bike.

I have also been thinking BIG THOUGHTS about the world, the markets, the economy, society, and on a couple of occasions I have begun to write drafts of emails, blogs, etc. But in so many ways it seems presumptuous and egotistical to try to distill it all into grandiose pearls of wisdom.