A game of Pick Up Stix

            Windstorms over the winter left Sutton littered with toppled trees. Woods and paths look like Pick Up Stix, that game where you must carefully remove individual sticks, one at a time, from a huge tangle without disturbing the pile. Which can you remove safely? Which must be left alone for now? Which ones do you take a chance on, despite the risk of a fall? Jonathan and I did extensive clearing today. We were careful - no mishaps.
            The world faces a tangle of challenges right now. Which restrictions can be removed safely (Reopen the economy? Allow access to public beaches? Expand the minimum numbers for social gatherings?), and which must be left alone (Wear masks. Wash your hands! No indoor public gatherings.)?
            Eventually (inevitably?), something will be lifted that will lead to a fall. We’ve been lifting our personal boundaries in tiny, calculated doses, warily, but with such relief – to be with, to touch, to share space! We are careful. I dread mishaps.
 
My 60th year in 60,000 words
Day 264: 164 words, TOTAL = 44,851; 15,149 remaining