At A Time Like This

At a time like this we need wonder.
At a time like this we need courage.
At a time like this we need each other, but not holding hands.
At a time like this we need neighbors, to share lamb stew even if it  is virtual; to share jokes on our Facebook feed, to share a high-five from across the street. Which looks surprisingly like a hello wave, which is what we really wanted anyway.
At a time like this we need to get to the back of the freezer and clean it out, decide about that half package of frozen peas in a new way, balanced against painful possibilities like food shortages. We aren't used to such things. Frozen peas would always be in plastic bags at Smart&Final. If ours were old we could toss them without worry. Now, we worry. Over Peas. And futures. And green-pea-less futures.
At a time like we need to snuggle and hear each other's heartbeats. When I'm scared I put my head on J's chest and the lub-dub of his heart calms me. When I'm calm I move my ear down to his stomach, where a small symphony of gurgles and bubble-sounds meet my ear and I laugh, which makes my head bounce on his tummy and he laughs, even at a time like this.