Fearing potential lockdowns, some areas in Shanghai, as well as the US Embassy, instructed people to stock supplies for at least sixty days.

The fear and stress are quite telling of Shanghai in 2022, and I wonder. I can get fruit and vegetables in a tin, but do I meet more with friends now because I might not be able to do so in the next few weeks? Will I walk in the rain now because soon I have no steps outside my door? If only hugs and sunshine could be stored in boxes, enough for sixty days.