Today, I was perusing the “Emotional Survival Guide to Burning Man” I wrote seven years ago. I couldn’t help but notice the congruence with our current quarantine conditions: Islands are More Intense, Learn to Truly Surrender, Choose Your Nest Carefully, Stay Open and Curious, Tend to Your Hierarchy of Needs, and Learn How to Give and Receive Gifts.

Am I an elder or elderly? This recent Wall Street Journal article amplified this question as the age of 60 became a new line of demarcation as high risk for COVID-19. I’m supposed to be thinking of Social Security at this age, but I’m feeling some serious Social Insecurity!

Welcome to April, a month when the COVID-19 virus is expected to overwhelm the United States and many other places. Yes, this year has felt like one big April Fool’s hoax, but maybe we’re just building a social muscle that has been atrophying during the past couple decades.

Entrepreneurs and their employees are the lifeblood of the American economy. Small businesses create almost two-thirds of new jobs and represent the majority of existing jobs in the U.S. I feel a deep sense of empathy for the sleepless nights so many entrepreneurs are going through right now.

I miss hugs. You probably do too. Hugs get you high. In fact, I’m now ending all my emails with a “Huge Digital Hug.” Of course, it’s not the same. Still, studies show that hugs are good for our physical and mental health.

The idea came off the page Like a ship White and proud Slicing through lettered oceans Out and out to the heart of things.

Does a breakthrough require a breakdown? Money no longer changes hands. Hands no longer touch other hands. Yet, hearts continue to connect as the kindling of this crisis has us staring face to face with life’s big questions and mysteries.

You’re probably familiar with Outward Bound, the wilderness leadership program that helps young people and adults gain self-awareness and confidence while appreciating nature in a new way. The first course in the U.S. was run in 1961 for the Peace Corps, an organization that Outward Bound helped to shape.

Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m a bit of a change junkie. My shelves are packed with books that promise to help me banish bad habits, boost my creativity, and become a rock star at parenting.

When you hear the word “Mastery,” what comes to mind? For me, it’s the warriors at the Jedi Academy, learning how to recognize and harness the force within them. I also think of opera singers, concert violinists, and Ph.D. candidates.