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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

Living Alone – All of the time. Perhaps I am too informed. I hang out with epidemiologists and stay on top of the numbers myself. I have risk factors, so I am very, very careful. I never let anyone inside my home, with the rare exception of a technician who needs access to my basement. In that case, they enter and exit via the bulkhead with no contact with me – and I keep the basement closed off from the rest of the house for days. I never let anyone in my car, except for repairs – and that is really very stressful… lots of disinfecting ensues and I let the car air out in the garage for days. I am very careful. I haven’t seen the inside of a store since last February. I only occasionally get take-out food, and I treat the packaging like hazardous material. Food is then microwaved prior to eating. I talk to people by phone or Zoom, and only visit my son outside, with masks, and distanced. This happens rarely as he has recently relocated a bit closer to me but is busy with work and fixing up his new house. I am very careful – but I live alone all of the time. The isolation is the very worst part of being very careful. My blessings? I can work at home, I have a house with a bulkhead and garage. I am financially OK with good health insurance. My kids are grown – so I don’t have to worry about their education. In many ways I am quite lucky. And yet it is so very hard… I can only imagine how hard life is for those who struggle in situations far more challenging than mine. I am exhausted. God grant us strength to get through the next few months…