Staying Happy in Quarantine

As many of us are into our second or third week of staying home, I have comprised a list of the things we are enjoying the most to entertain ourselves:

1. Board Games- Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, The Game of Life and Risk. Yet to be played are Ticket to Ride and some of the more obscure games that we will probably start to play when we are eager for something new.
2. Movies- Truman Show, Baby Driver, and Bruce Almighty are the most recent. Mixed reviews in the family on Baby Driver, and even though I generally dislike dark and violent movies, I thought it was well done. We are debating going through all of the Star Wars movies (I vote no!) or watching the entire Star Trek Next Generation- a resounding yes vote from me!
3. Crafts- I started a new sweater (crocheting) and we are awaiting the delivery of canvasses to start our Bob Ross painting class. You can find Bob Ross on Netflix or YouTube. I recommend watching Bob Ross even if you never pick up a paint brush- it never disappoints in being soothing entertainment!
4. Puzzles- whether jigsaw (we have a 3000 piece puzzle going) or logic puzzles or crosswords, we have done these both in groups and alone. The internet has a seemingly infinite supply of brain teaser type puzzles for all ages!
5. Learning a language- I started with Duolingo over a year ago, and I am glad I did! I probably have another 6 months to go before I am done with their Polish classes- and my understanding and vocabulary are markedly improved. I can’t speak worth a darn, but that is the class I will look for when I am done with this one.
6. Cooking- we always enjoyed cooking as a family, and that continues. Now there are some days when it feels like an episode of Chopped (what’s in today’s mystery basket?) — but overall no complaints.
7. Musical instruments- whether a good musician getting better (not me, but fortunately others in the house!), or a weak musician looking to get better (squarely my camp)- what better time? I found beginner guitar lessons by Marty Schwartz on YouTube and they are easy to follow and give a real sense of accomplishment!
8. Talking on the phone to loved ones. I am not a phone talker under normal circumstances, but how lucky are we to have the technology today to enable us to see and talk to people far away!
9. Joining lectures or other group calls. Since everyone is in the same boat there is no end to opportunities to join discussions on pretty much any topic of interest. Also creating a call/video chat — I have had everything from prayer groups to virtual cocktail parties- it is a great way to connect with friends!
10. Education- For Christmas we joined Master Class- another great way to learn new things and have fun doing it. My favorite so far are the Gordon Ramsey cooking classes. My 15 year old is also enjoying the Penn and Teller magic class.
11. Exercise- We mostly do calisthenics or videos at home. It is hard to go on a walk in NYC and keep a distance from people so for now we are mostly staying indoors. Who knows if that may change.

I know that there are some real challenges for people — working from home can be tough, and not being able to work at all can be even tougher. Being ill or having loved ones who are is the greatest challenge right now. Being able to focus pretty much exclusively on how to pass the time is a real blessing — but I know even in that many people are very lonely. Finding ways to reach out to others could be a real silver lining in this challenging time. Just because we are apart doesn’t mean we can’t continue to deepen relationships and also plan for the day when this is all behind us!