I doubt I’m the only one, but the constant stream of contradictory news about the coronavirus has left me fatigued and off-kilter. On the flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, we heard the news that the president had declared a state of emergency and that our old school district had canceled classes for the next four weeks. Facebook has exploded with crazy debates about exactly how worried we should all be and my normal outlets of reliable news don’t seem to be any more certain about what we should do or what to expect in the next few weeks. The world feels topsy-turvy to me right now.

So, in addition to the usual haze of travel, I was pretty preoccupied when we got off the plane in Honolulu. We stopped to get some lunch at a restaurant overlooking a koi pond. Since we still had some extra time when we finished, we went out to find the koi pond.

We found an obscure elevator and crossed our fingers that we wouldn’t inadvertently exit security.

When we got out of the elevator, there it was: an oasis of calm in the middle of the hustle of a major airport. An oasis of beauty in a scary week. A literal breath of fresh air. The kids had a chance to run around and watch the koi and the ducks. Tim and I had the balm of a moment of stillness.

I needed that moment of tranquility. After a few minutes, I felt refreshed and ready to start again.

I wish all of you well. I hope that we’re all lucky enough to find a small piece of beauty in these turbulent times.