Journaling through Quarantine

Have you been journaling through quarantine? Someday, your kids, and even grandchildren, will ask “You were alive for the quarantine of 2020?” or “You lived through Coronavirus, what was it like?”

And what will you say? 

When this all started back in March, someone suggested to write things down. To not only keep the milestones of this pandemic alive, but to also remember the smaller details, and most importantly the positives that we’re unfortunately bound to lose to the weight of the negatives. We might soon forget the fun inside jokes we’ve laughed at while staying home with our husband and family, or the quirks of teaching our parents to video-stream, and especially the new places we found while on walks to places we never took the time to explore before. That is what I want to remember. I want to tell future generations, “but look at what we found when the world actually had to stop.”

I admittedly haven’t gotten as much down on paper as I originally hoped. Last weekend, I took a solo drive to clear my head and I found myself somewhere that was all too familiar- the Salem train station. I parked in the same lot that I’ve all too quickly pulled in and out of, twice a day, on my daily commute without giving it any of my attention. It was WILD being back after two months of working from home. I pulled out my pen and paper and just let my mind go and go. I wrote down every single thing that came to me, entirely out of order, silly and nonsensical, whatever it was. It was freeing. I can just picture myself pulling this piece of paper out of some box in my basement in however many years down the road.

If you’re like me and are looking for some writing inspiration, I signed up for this 100 day project- the Isolation Journals- that started with the quarantine in March. A short email comes to my inbox everyday with a quick writing prompt. Some will spur on more length than others. 

Today’s blurb?

What are ten “quaranterms”? These can be words that are new to you since quarantine, old words that have struck new meaning, or just words you’ve used around the house. My ten:

       Social Distancing

       Dr. Fauci

       New Norm

       FOMO

       Quarantine (I always pictured a zip up plastic isolation bubble around a hospital bed)

       Hope you’re staying well!

       Carole Baskin

       Buuuuut (an inside the Keegan-household joke)

       Tik-Toking

       Zoom

The Isolation Journals are on day 54 of 100, but you can still sign up at any time to be added to the email list. All prompts can also be found on their social media (@suleikajaouad) or suleikajaouad.com if you’d like to start at Day 1 yourself or to pick a few from the pack.