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What are you looking forward to? I mean aside from stockpiling anti-bacterial wipes and the election to be over? Just kidding, but sometimes the world seems to be intruding on our private joys and woes. I look at pictures of past presidents and remember how shocking it was to see how profoundly they’d aged – visibly aged – in their four or eight years in the Oval Office. That’s how I feel about the last three years about myself.

Today’s guest knows that office space well. Joe Lockhart was Bill Clinton’s Press Secretary during Clinton’s last two years, as you recall, the really really difficult ones. A fascinating career followed (not that it was shabby before), and he worked with John Kerry, the NFL, Facebook, and his own consulting and lobbying firm, Glover Park. These days Joe Lockhart hosts a wonderful podcast, “Words Matter” and is a contributor to CNN.

The 5 Things that made my life better this week:

1. Pete Buttigieg’s speech about withdrawing from the presidential race. It was so measured and so eloquent. He never seemed as presidential as then; so did his husband, Chasten, whose moving introduction, filled with emotion seemed like the perfect “First Spouse” or whatever we will call him one day. If a Democrat does win the 2020 election, I would not be surprised to see Mayor Pete as our Secretary of Defense or Ambassador to the United Nations. He’s a patriot and a hero to me. I know this is just the beginning of his trajectory.

2. Cooking with Ghee. Exhibit B ™, who may be lactose intolerant, first told me she cooked with ghee, which is clarified butter, known as something used by the Ayurvedic in India. It has much less lactose than regular butter, and Ghee has a higher burning point than standard clarified butter, which means it is ideal for frying or sautéing foods.

3. The New Yorker. I read one issue almost cover to cover on my flight to Los Angeles and another one on my flight to Washington, D.C. You don’t necessarily know what will interest you; often it’s the writing that draws you in, regardless of the subject matter.

4. Community in tough times: Monday morning I went to the supermarket to stock up in case Coronavirus closes down our city. Even though our huge supermarket (by Manhattan standards) was packed; even though many of the shelves were picked clean – (pasta, pasta sauce, and sodas in particular) – there was a sense of camaraderie which I never feel there. Often people push and are rude. This time we became buddies. “Should I buy Fritos?” “Why the hell not?” We waited on a very long line to pay for our groceries and it was a kumbaya experience.

5. Youth. Not my waning youth, but spending time with college students, now a group that’s pretty much younger than my own exhibits ™. I spent the weekend at Georgetown University for an article I’m writing, and I enjoyed their earnestness. And I met some very funny kids.