A friend is in quarantine for COVID-19.

Her husband tested positive, so her family has to be isolated not only from the world, but also from her husband.

The circumstances are difficult. She’s not sure how she’s going to make it to the end. But if she keeps moving through her days, hour by hour, she will eventually come out the other side.

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Out on the water, our small rowing team is waiting for a command from the coxswain.

“Gimme a minute to think,” she says. We patiently sit at oars. “Okay, port side, hold water, starboard side, give way together.” The boat begins to move.

Dealing with a large group of children is a little more challenging than a handful of adults, but an experienced teacher can quickly bring a raucous group to order using teacher vibes.

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I’m spending spring in Maine for the first time in many years. I’m looking forward to blooming lilacs and chestnut trees, which are still several weeks away. Meanwhile, the the first sign of spring arrived a few weeks ago along with the melting snow: the peepers.

From late March or early April, you can hear the high-pitched singing of this tiny frog rising from ponds and marshes all over New England. Even when the air is chilly and the trees still look like a bunch of sad sticks, the peepers signal that warmth and green will eventually return. The commencement of the peeper orchestra was especially comforting this year — at least some things are still happening as scheduled.

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Those of us who are high achievers learn early on how great it feels to cross things off the to-do list.

When the homework is done, no one can nag you. You don’t have anything hanging over your head. You’re free! As a special bonus, you may even earn the approval of one or more people in the process.

Each time you complete a task, you get a little hit of dopamine, that highly addictive neurochemical that keeps you doing more of whatever generated it last time. That’s how the valedictorian gets there — she’s just chosen a different drug than the stoners.

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Jason Fried, co-founder of Basecamp, doesn’t believe in goals. He claims he’s never had one.

Imagine being able to succeed by just wanting to make things — and make things better for everyone. Fried is proof that it is possible.

So often, we focus on an external timeline that we have to satisfy in order to be acceptable. We believe that if we fail to keep up with others (or with our own imagined future self), our efforts have no value — or even that we have no value.

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