Long ago, in 1973, there was a movie called “The Way We Were,” starring Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. Cinematically, it was not a hit. But musically, it marked the first time Streisand notched a No. 1 song on the charts. Originally a song about college love, today its opening lyrics can read like a reflection of the effect of COVID-19. Here is the opening: Memories light the corners of my mind Reading those lyrics now, it’s easy to understand the appeal of the times that came before the world was overtaken by the novel corona virus, which has now infected more than 17 million people worldwide and killed more than 150,000 Americans. Perhaps you’ve picked up a favorite old novel, or streamed reruns of “Cheers,” “Little House on the Prairie” or even “Family Affair.” Or, like a high school friend of mine, made her grandmother’s beloved strawberry shortcake recipe that transported her back in time to the summertime church socials of her childhood. A wave of nostalgia is coursi...
I write to remember, to question, and to connect. Here you’ll find essays, stories, and fragments of life — all the ways I try to make sense of the world, one sentence at a time.