Yesterday I did a post about looking on the bright side of the coronavirus pandemic, and one way that I'm choosing to do that is by looking at this time as such an opportunity and gift. I think it's funny that before all of this all I wanted was just a break- a moment to breathe, rest, pursue personal projects, and spend time with friends and by myself!
It's incredibly easy right now to get caught up in the plans we had before. But something I'm learning in this is how quickly plans change, and how exciting it can be to always have something new to do. So the important question here: what's on your quarantine list?
What have you always wanted to do? Is there something you've always wanted to learn but just haven't had time?
I've had a mental list like this for forever, and now it's just my quarantine list. I figured I would share for some ideas! The best part about this list is that it has no deadlines and no necessities. I don't have to do any of this if I don't want to, but I can choose to use my time for these things!
(note- I'm not sick! I'm using 'quarantine' as a more general term for choosing to practice social distancing by staying mostly at home except for going outside to exercise and to the grocery store)
My Quarantine List
- have a picnic at the park
- get coffee with a friend (over FaceTime!)
- figure out how to use my Arduino and do some projects with that
- plant and take care of a vegetable garden
- turn my closet into my "classroom"/"office" for when my college online classes start
- organize the pantry
- learn kintsukuroi (the Japanese pottery where broken things are repaired with gold)
- go camping
- fitness! figure out a fitness goal and go for it. I have no excuse not to work out every day!
- cook a lot so I know how to cook for myself when I live in my apartment next year
- reread Narnia and Anne Frank's diary
- have a Holy Hour/prayer time each day
- finish the book I started last month!
- explore a new hiking trail
- practice/learn some Spanish on Duolingo
- dinner with my friends on group FaceTime
- watch a movie with a friend (I'll call them)
- learn how to make my own boba tea
- write a letter to my grandmother
- fix my bike
- edit and query the book my friend and I cowrote junior year
- finish knitting my blanket
- board game night with my family
- virtual Bible Study
- blog!
- screen printing on t-shirts (I found a kit buried in the closet)
- make my own hand sanitizer
- learn how to compost
- journal a lot (keep a record of this crazy time to look back on later)
- have a fancy tea with my sisters (we can all wear old prom/homecoming dresses)
- perfect my overnight oats recipe
- learn how to use Photoshop
- go see a drive in movie
And the best part of this list? It goes on! Each day I come up with new things to add.
I had a virtual Bible study yesterday. My little sister wanted Korean barbecue for her birthday but restaurants are closed, so we went to the Asian grocery store and bought everything we need to do it at home! I tried a dance workout yesterday- when else am I going to have so much time to try new ways of exercising? I'm organizing a lot at my house and I decorated my room. I'm reading and gardening and calling lots of my friends! I learned how to cook my favorite Thai curry (I miss it from when I was on mission there last summer!) and I decorated my room. It's exciting to find the little adventures of every day, even in quarantine.