That was then, this is now. No going back. Like the geological dark layer that denotes a cosmic event and mass extinctions, there is before. The era of COVID-19 and social distancing, masks to preserve health and protect those on the front lines in healthcare is the after.

If everyone is in a herd, following the same thing, look the other way. Find quiet excellence, quality. It is there amid the shouting. Look, listen.

A writer is an entrepreneur and a hunter. Resourceful. Enterprising. Able to pivot and find ideas, create a story to open a window in a world of science, business, medicine, history, one life.

The image above is from the dedication of the Hartford Circus Fire Memorial on the site where this terrible event happened. By turning around saw some who stood outside the footprint of the circus tent and crowds gathered. Have always wondered if modern-day technology could reconstruct the unknown little girl's face in 3-D modeling on a computer, then a physical model sculpted by a forensic artist. That a documentary (Secrets of the Dead) could show the process, and confirm her identity as Eleanor Cook or open the questioning based on what she actually looked like in life. The best book (personal opinion as a passionate reader) is The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan; the author raises the question of identification based on evidence and dental records. He also writes about the human condition, that some saw the fire beginning and simply did not react in response to danger approaching. Others did see the threat, assessed, responded, acted. Insight that applies in every disaster, natural or otherwise.

Hard work and dedication to find solutions. The pandemic tests the combined forces of medicine, business, innovators, creatives, museums, science, community, commitments. The calm voices sharing clear information are noticed, these rise.

While watching #PPP, kindly allow me a moment of immodesty to promote a @FlywheelVC portco, @Submittable — SaaS for digital application & subimssion mgmt. We were seed investors, later joined by @ycombinator @nextfrontiercap @trueventures @nextcoastVP. https://t.co/MSeXJTBd3j

— Trevor Loy (@trevorloy) April 27, 2020

Flywheel. Having seen hit-or- miss engines in operation at various events, including the Tobacco Valley Flywheelers and Connecticut Antique Machinery Association, the visible expressions of ingenuity and problem solving on display in machines to get work done.

“A flywheel used in machines serves as a reservoir, which stores energy during the period when the supply of energy is more than the requirement, and releases it during the period when the requirement of energy is more than the supply.” Now apply that concept to growing business.

“The role of the infinitely small in nature is infinitely great.” Louis Pasteur

For some additional reading and insight, author David Quammen's books The Song of the Dodo (1996), The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (2006), and Spillover (2014) help with understanding humanity is part of nature on a planet, not exempt from all processes. Some parts of the wilderness should be left alone not seen as food sources; science can help humans on one shared planet understand why.

Hunt, seek, find.

Process is not a process but it is a way of life, aided by curiosity.

“I write about real people in real places. End of story.” John McPhee

Applies to writers, news, business. Twitter. Press releases. (Helps to have been on both sides of a news editor desk.) Put three things together and see a pattern, go do more research. Connections. Work at a community newspaper invaluable for learning by doing. Land records. Dogged research. Listening to people when they call in, finding small stories that lead to larger ones. Storms and photography. Focus; knowing that huge tree that fell and about old photos that show that very same tree 100 years ago, shading an annual family gathering.

Another parallel is technique. Good runners don't just run; they know where to place the heel, how to swing their arms, for efficiency. Good writers certainly get inspired by the Muse, but also develop habits, practices, techniques they can rely on, especially when in a jam. https://t.co/AOj0szLMfK

— Steve Padilla (@StevePadilla2) April 29, 2020

Business, lean and nimble before the storm. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), navigate. Keep working, cash flow. Diversify and step lively, adapt. The world has changed, listen to those who keep wishing for “normal” but are stuck. That world is gone. Read the landscape of now, choose and act. (Link to page one of this COVID-19 journal, linked here. “RADA. Read the situation, assess options, decide, act.” — Cara Black) Gather paperwork, but also produce, keep all running. Garden space, increase. More production of food, independence. Knowing sources, resources, good soil.

Business leaders, venture capital, technology, aviation. Dr. Gerald Burrows. Dr. Ruddle, whose phone call from Korea is well remembered. (What an incredible person and interview.) Those still writing in life's book of accomplishments.
Once found, watch what they will do next.

“At its best, the sensation of writing is that of any unmerited grace. It is handed to you, but only if you look for it.”

Annie Dillard

For avoidance of doubt:

Your 8 week "covered period" of measuring expenses for the purpose of later seeking PPP loan forgiveness begins on the date of disbursement – the date you receive the PPP $.

(per IFR 6 issued today)

— Trevor Loy (@trevorloy) April 29, 2020

Rediscovering old friends. Elderberries. Apple trees. Wake up knowledge that's been there all along, calling all out. Rooting powder, take cuttings. Gardening is also like writing. Takes imagination to see what will be. To place, space. Surprises along the way. Pay attention. Edit (pull weeds), choose.

Think back, look ahead. Call on memories of buckets to fill with ripe elderberries. Avoid the stink bugs, pick, pick pick. Tote the full containers back, scout locations and ride to the next. Assess, return home to strip and clean the berries, pick out stems and leaves. Watch for those stink bugs, literally explosive stink if disturbed; pick out other insects that may have traveled with the fruit. Drain the mash and let marinate. Years ago, that was the goal for making wine. Later, saw and recognized these old friends as shrubs with umbels of pretty white blossoms, then deep purple-black berries growing wild in meadows. Learning and botany, intertwines.

Reading a landscape, make mistakes. Remember these and learn from the experiences. Take a shortcut under power lines at a low spot which looked like standing water easily crossed on horseback in northwest Florida. Turned out to be like quicksand, a thick skin like on pudding that once punctured revealed gooey mass quicksand and deep water. Trouble as the horse went in chest deep, struggled and could not be extricated. What it took was quick action, rider jumped free and brute strength to muscle the equine out before she sank. Terrifying, lesson learned.

Life goes on. The planet moves through space and time, all onboard, The thought that a threshold has been crossed, life reacting because of no respect for emerging viruses due to encroachment, going places that should be left alone. Bats are vital elements of a living ecosystem. Don't tinker with parts not understood, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Humans are part of the natural processes on a living planet, not apart from any of it.

Write. Write it down. Get thoughts on paper or a screen, go back and polish. Read. Walk. Grow more gardens, listen to what works and why. To be continued.

Note: For an elderberry (or three) of your own, consider calling Uncle Bob's Garden Center in Middlefield, on the Meriden Road. More listings will be on our Resources page. And remember, for a morale booster, gardening feeds mind, body and soul. Attract pollinators, grow food, flowers, herbs, edibles on shrubs and trees or just for beauty. Music will also work wonders for busting stress. Choose other outdoor pursuits in off times to walk, run, hike, stroll, bike. College campuses, school grounds often offer sidewalks for walking a circuit around a neighborhood. Be respectful; note any postings and keep your distance from other people, leash your dog(s) and pick up any leavings. Go where others are not, be resourceful. Having lived in an apartment, found hundreds of quiet places. Avoid over-publicized parks and places. Look at Google Map and note the greenspaces; work to discover open space not overwhelmed, but worth the effort. For previous entries since COVID-19, here are links, pages, writing prompt beginning. “OODA.” Also, for those who love learning, a link to geological time explained via Slate (2014), that distinctive dark layer.