I remember the realization, years ago, that I wasn’t sure how I was going to make payroll two weeks later.

Sort of. Honestly, it’s happened so many times that it all sort of blends together now. But I do remember the feeling of the raging storm in the pit of my stomach, walking through the world with a tremendous and constant sense of distraction, unable to focus on work, my daily routine, or anything other than the fact that I was a huge failure.

I learned from the experience. I learned how to ask for help. I learned how to look at exactly what is happening in my business right now instead of letting the future be vague and hopeful. I learned how to run a leaner organization and not say yes to everyone I liked and wanted to hire.

Did you hear? School is canceled. It’s happened in Virginia and Georgia…and soon, many other places will follow.

I’m hearing from many parents who are deeply concerned about the losses their children are experiencing, from the inability to play with their friends to the cancellation of high school graduation ceremonies. These are losses to be grieved and respected. But there is an additional layer of fear that parents have, which is that the emotional impact will cause long-term harm.

In our online meetings with students and parents of The Little Middle School, one question keeps coming up: “How long do you think we’re going to be doing this?”

We’re all craving certainty right now, and though the correct answer is, “Nobody knows,” I offer a different one: “We’re preparing to do online school for the rest of the term.”

The reason is simple: If things suddenly went back to normal, we would be relieved to leap into our former routines and even the commutes we once complained about. We know how to execute that plan.

People are trying to make sense of the passage of time.

Reflecting not only on the past year, they’re attempting to process the past decade, hoping to glean some lessons and understand the trends that shaped the events they’ve just lived through.

If you’re feeling a sense of loss, a fear of missing out, a worry that there’s a party going on without you, let me reassure you: Nobody knows what the heck they’re doing.

How do you measure the value of a human life?

Is it measured by how successful someone is? Well then, how do we define successful? And how do we measure success?

Parents want the best for their kids — that appears to be universal. But there is no objective measurement of what best means.

To generalize mercilessly, I have observed three ways in which parents grapple with this issue.