I regret to inform you that there is no "after this." There& #39;s just this, and navigating our way around this new reality. Don& #39;t think that next month you can hug your loved ones safely, or sit at a restaurant laughing with friends, or sit elbow to elbow watching a movie.

Learn new ways of showing your affection. Educate yourself on how to reduce your risks. Think about the compromises you& #39;re willing to make. How will you improve your health to limit the danger to yourself and those around you? What kind of person will you be going forward?

What preparations will you make in case you get sick? How about when your loved ones get sick? It may feel morbid to accept that there& #39;s no happy ending, but it& #39;s only through preparation that we can deal with a fundamental change in how we live and relate to others.

By making plans we can find some sense of peace that we& #39;re ready for the possibilities that await us, knowing that "back to normal" maybe a thing of the past, at least for a while, and we& #39;ll have to find some kind of joy and happiness in the way things have to be going forward.