On a sailing trip in 1989 Italian teacher Mauro Morandi encountered a small island nestled between Sardinia and Corsica. Uninhabited save for a caretaker, Morandi was captivated by its beauty and isolation. Soon after, he took over as the island’s guardian and sole inhabitant – and remains there over 30 years later.

Alone but not lonely, Morandi reminds us to distinguish between the two.

Being alone during this pandemic is life-saving work, and while most of us are not fortunate enough to be alone on a beautiful Meditteranean island, we can all encounter what philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel calls “an island in time” every week on Friday night.