Day 77. On the day when the Washington DC area should finally have able to enjoy a bit of relief from the stresses of the shelter in place orders under which we have been living for two and a half months, the area is under greater tension than could ever have been imagined. The city is under curfew and only time will tell whether the rioting of the last two nights will return. The combined effects of the pandemic and the George Floyd killing have set the country on fire – literally. And no one can predict when peace will be restored. Nor can we evaluate either the short term or long term impacts . One thing is clear – we are a terribly divided country. Our divisions appear to deepen daily. This does not bode well for the challenges before us.

Unfortunately, the peace of the placid lake I passed early this morning belies our current reality.

© Judah Lifschitz 2020