To do this week: Get ready for reopening

The primary is coming up. Here’s everything you need to know to vote, by Patricia Madej

These are the best places to picnic in the region, by Nick Vadala

Restaurants are canning their cocktails. Here’s where to get them, by Grace Dickinson

Don’t go from zero to 100. If you’ve been staying at home, social distancing and avoiding crowds, a crowded bar, a big wedding or a stadium event may trigger a response you didn’t anticipate. “You might get panicky,” said Heidi Rose, chair of the communication department at Villanova University. “But you might feel exhilarated.” Pay close attention on how you feel when you do venture out. The moment you start to feel weird, leave.

Ask people about their comfort level. It will be tempting to go in for a hug when you run into the good friend you haven’t seen in a year. But please ask. Ask how far apart people feel comfortable being. “Pay attention to the cues that other people might be giving and ask,” Rose said. And check with others before you remove your mask.

Acknowledge the awkwardness. Talk about it. The one thing we all have in common is our COVID-19 experience. “Not sure what to talk about beyond corona, talk about corona,” Kudesia said. “Now’s the time to go meta.”

The Wonton Project: buy steamed or crispy fried wontons from Ellen Yin (Fork, High Street Hospitality Group), and the profits are split between Asian Americans United, which focuses on fighting anti-Asian violence and building up Philly’s Asian communities and Advancing Justice, which advocates for civil and human rights for Asian Americans. Learn more here.

Asian Arts Initiative is a multidisciplinary arts center that offers exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, youth workshops, and a community gathering space. Since 1993, the organization has used art to explore the history, culture, and present-day conversations of Asian Americans. Learn more/donate here.

Laos in the House promotes the cultural legacy of the Lao American refugee community through storytelling and the arts. Learn more/donate here.

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture: Based in West Philadelphia, Al-Bustan works to educate those of all ages on Arab heritage, and offers an array of programming designed to celebrate diversity and enrich cross-cultural understanding. Learn more/donate here.

In a year when falling down and getting up has been a running theme in our lives, grace is infusing the zeitgeist with tenderness and strength. It crosses all the lines of the traumas that envelop us: the pandemic, social injustice, our divided politics. These days — both the devout and the secular — are defining grace as permission to treat ourselves and one another with mercy as we work our way through the drama of what has become our daily reality. “Grace goes beyond self-care and treating yourself,” said the Rev. Charles Howard, the University of Pennsylvania chaplain. “It’s extending kindness to others and yourself even when it’s not deserving.” Grace is offering a soft place to land. “It gives us permission to just be,” Howard said.