My Zen teacher Susan recently told a group of her students at the end of a Zen meditation retreat, “We’re all monastics now.” In this pandemic, we’re in an era of isolation, retreat. We’re also in an era of heightened uncertainty. This can be a terrible thing and drive us to loneliness and distraction—or it can be a time of practice, reflection, and deepening. We can choose to see ourselves as monks deepening into the stillness of a monastery. It’s our choice. If you’re staying home these days, it can be a time of endless internet distractions, or you can open to the opportunity to use the beautiful solitude for meditation, reading, writing, contemplation, and journaling. It can be a time of practice. If you’re feeling the anxiety of the moment, it can be a time of near breakdown and freneticism, or it can be a moment to slow down and be …