I’m learning to be like water

30 March 2020. I take as deep a breath as a lifelong smoker is capable of, and blow out the six and a quarter candles—representing my 62 years on earth—that my wife has precariously balanced on the cupcake that was all she could find, in lieu of a cake, in our strictly quarantined neighbourhood.

Chasing a thought later that morning, I spill some flour on a plate, add water, dip both feet in the mix, and walk in a straight line from the kitchen to my study. I check the footsteps to make sure the strides are even. Then I …