The Atlantic

All the Cozy Little Things Keep Me Going

The sound of rain, the feel of a pencil, the routine of making the bed—the power of these things to make me feel better, even in a pandemic, shouldn’t be underestimated.
Source: Rose Wong

On the morning of the seventh day of our self-isolation, the first thing I said to my husband was, “I’m terrified.”

“About what?” he asked.

I said, “Everything.”

He said, “There’s this funny thing people are doing on Twitter; they’re saying what their coronavirus nicknames are. What was the last thing you ate out of the fridge?”

“An apple,” I said.

“So your coronavirus nickname is Terrified Apple.”

I’m a terrified apple. Even in normal times, none of us truly knows what’s going to happen from one day to the next. Just because we signed up for a pottery class doesn’t mean we’ll actually get to glaze and fire a ceramic bowl. Just because you’re

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