Wendy’s has no meat for its burgers. The virus can change the color of your toes. People keep talking about a return to “normal,” as if there’s such a thing. Yesterday I went to a store that’s selling antibacterial wipes for $27.99.

As businesses begin reopening across the nation, the projections have swiftly been revised upwards to nearly 200,000 dead from this virus. America looks at these numbers and doesn’t blink. This country has always been fine with needless death, so long as it occurs in its own backyard. But imagine if twenty or even ten Americans died abroad from a mysterious illness in another country.

When I woke up this morning, a half-formed thought surfaced with the force of revelation: After suffering loss, the soul can go one of two ways: it can harden into something or… I’m not sure yet sure what the other option is, but I want to find it.