Balancing Act: A hunt for a new dishwasher, and a reminder that we're wired to connect and care for one another

We had active shooter training at work recently.

That's where safety experts teach you how to try to survive an armed attack inside your building - similar to the instructions children learn, routinely, at school now.

It was surreal and, I suppose, necessary and, obviously, demoralizing. Mostly I felt sad, knowing how completely we've woven the expectation of gun violence into our daily lives.

There was a moment, though, that left me hopeful.

We were instructed to run