Bored in lockdown? Not me. I can entertain myself for hours with my own stupidity. 

I got up very early one recent morning to take 1g of cephalexin for my Strep throat. I went back to bed, read the ABC news feed on my phone, looked at my messages, and discovered one from a distressed friend.   

She has been caring for her 98-year-old father in palliative care at home. She wrote that it was very near the end now, and that she could use some “thought waves” from her friends.  

I immediately responded to her heartfelt communication with an email. Then I decided to reread her original message.