Isolation Ideas

by Brendan Smith
Weirs Times Editor

It is at time of uncertainty for sure.
But it is also a time for creativity.
As many of us find ourselves staying at home for at least a couple of weeks, it can be very frustrating. Many of us have been disrupted in our daily routines and are getting restless.
Still, instead of wasting valuable time worrying about this virus by turning on the news every minute to see if maybe, by some chance, it will be over tomorrow, or reading the theories of what this is really all about by your friends on Social Media who have Liberal Arts Degrees (Guilty), we should all be developing unique ways to pass the time.
I have been doing just that. These ideas can be used not only in this unique circumstance, but every time there is a virus that shuts down the country for weeks (months).
Even though it is just my wife and me at home, I have also added a few ideas to help those parents who are looking for new ways to keep the kids occupied without having to depend on the Internet all the time.
I have compiled all of these great ideas and am planning to publish them in a book tentatively called “Pandemic Fun”
Here are a few of the hundreds of ideas that will be in the book.

The whole family can make masks of other people they know, like family, friends and neighbors. Then each can take turns wearing different masks and role playing the part of that person. You will now get the opportunity to tell those people what bugs you about them without having them actually there. Hours of fun, and even some necessary stress-relieving yelling without having to face the consequences of your actions.

With the unfortunate in-house dining ban put on eating establishments, you can still recreate that experience in your own home. Each night a different family member takes a turn as the “restaurant owner” and plans a menu based on what is available and the limit of their own culinary skills. For example, tonight I am planning a fun menu of cold cereal, toast with butter and jelly and a prepackaged chocolate chip cookie for dessert. If you have a kitchen Island, you can turn it into a makeshift bar if you are missing that feeling of lifting a pint at the local pub. (If you have kids in the house be sure to check their IDs.)

If you have some hardcover books in your house that you haven’t read yet, but are planning to, you can set them up like a big Jenga tower. The one who eventually pulls out the book that topples the tower has to read that book.

This one is a learning lesson for the kids. See how many other words they can make out of Coronavirus (Corona and Virus don’t count).

You can use the cable news networks for this one. Taking a list of words that have been used constantly during this time (e.g., pandemic, masks, social distancing, China, etc), assign each person in the household to watch a different news network at the same time (you can use TV, computers, phones, tablets, etc,). The first one to check off all of the words on the list as they hear them on the news wins. (We will provide a list of about a hundred words in the book. You can go to our website to get the updated daily list of words as they become available.)

If you have a dog or dogs set up a petting zoo, pretending they are a different animal each day. They’ll love it more than you. (This doesn’t always work so well with cats.)

Every day have a different family member act as a bookie and post odds and take bets on what time the daily briefing on the Coronavirus at the White House will actually begin. It is best to use non-money items like toothpicks, cookies, hand sanitizer, etc. If real money is involved there is always the possibility that someone in Washington connected to the briefing could get wind of it and somehow get in on the game and influence the actual time.

This time can also be used to promote culture. Have someone in your home be the museum curator for the day. They can take the other members of the family on a tour around the house and make up their own meanings of different paintings on the wall as well as some artifacts like vases, bowls and even dad’s bowling trophies. Each day someone new can be the curator and make up whatever they want.

There will also be a whole chapter on creative ways to use the ridiculous amount of toilet paper you recently bought and will probably never finish until just before the next Pandemic takes hold. (Toilet paper forts is just one idea of many.)
I would reveal some more of the ideas, but then you might not ever buy the book. So, I’ll leave it at that.
Hope this helps.
Be safe.

Brendan is the author of “The Flatlander Chronicles” and “Best Of A F.O.O.L In New Hampshire”. His newest book “I Really Only Did It For The Socks -Stories & Thoughts On Aging” will be available later this year. Brendan has also entertained audiences around New Hampshire with his storytelling presentations. To find out more visit his website at BrendanTSmith.com