April 30, 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to slow down as they transition to working remotely or attending school online. Alan Lightman, Harpswell’s founder, wrote in The Atlantic and then shared with Oprah Winfrey how much there is to gain from slowing down.“With the forced slowing of life granted by the coronavirus, we are now seeing an explosion of creative ideas and innovations in many parts of the world. In Italy, quarantined citizens are singing from balconies. Writers have created new blogs. Parents have developed new art projects for their children.”But there is more. The slow down can help us restore our inner selves to free ourselves from the endless demands that require us to always move fast.“By inner self, I mean that part of me that imagines, that dreams, that explores, that is constantly questioning who I am and what is important to me. My inner self is my true freedom. My inner self roots me to me, and to the ground beneath me.”