I knew, as of March 14, the world really was going to stop. We all would be cooped up through the end of April, at the very least. I immediately sat down and developed my C-Plan; a list of things that I wanted to do to keep busy, stay focused, and take care of myself for thirty days. (And, I’m thrilled to say I’ve mostly stayed on task.)

Then, early this week, I had an “Aha!” moment. I realized my “to do” list was just about keeping busy. It’s true that I had to clear my head. My closets did need reorganizing. I craved mindless TV binging. But words from my childhood — my father’s remarks that I didn’t work to fulfill my potential — seeped into my consciousness. Suddenly I felt guilty. If he, by chance, were to ask me what I accomplished during my social distancing “Covidcation,” what would I say? More to the point, how would he respond to the recitation of my list? Oy!! I was not going to have that conversation….(Isn’t it weird that, at fifty-eight years old, I even give a crap about what my dad would say???)

And so, I zeroed in on something I always wanted to do, but never had time to. I signed up for a year subscription of MasterClass – online classes taught by experts – and started with a course taught by James Patterson. I subsequently have developed the outline of the book I’ve always wanted to write.

* * *

It’s been five full weeks since I’ve been outside my eruv. (For those who don’t know, an eruv is an area – like a neighborhood — that is symbolically fenced off or enclosed by a wire boundary to extend the private domain of Jewish households into public areas. This permits activities within the eruv– like carrying things or pushing a stroller — that normally are forbidden in public on the Sabbath or major holidays.) It looks like I’ll be here for another month, at least. But when we return to “normal,” and Dad asks what I achieved during my Covidcation, I’ll be able to tell him, “I wrote a book.”

What are you going to say then, Dad?