Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
Sermons in stones and good in everything
                                       ~William Shakespeare

I’ve been thinking about some of the bad stuff that’s happened in the last year—the George Floyd murder, the Capitol riot, hate crimes against the AAPI community—and wondering how much fuel COVID contributed to what sometimes feels like a conflagration.

The horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad year notwithstanding, is there really some good in everything?

And what good can we grab onto? People are tired of the isolation—more tired, it seems now that the end is in sight. Like valiantly running 25+ miles of a marathon and then walking off the course with the end chute in sight.

Sometimes the pandemic feels like one Groundhog Day after another. It figures that one of my favorite lines from the movie Groundhog Day is when Rita tells Phil, “Maybe it’s not a curse. Depends how you look at it.”

Or at least maybe not a curse 100% of the time.

In her article, “Things to Do by Yourself,” psychosocial rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry says that “a certain amount of quality time alone is critical to well-being.” 

Well, we’ve definitely had time alone. Agreed? The question is: Was it quality time? Or could it be?

Some activities Kendra Cherry proposes (ones that work during a pandemic) are hiking in nature and learning something new. She explains that quality alone time can boost creativity and improve empathy.

Although I didn’t know I was following Kendra Cherry’s advice, I decided to pursue a new creative activity while in isolation. I have been interested in rug making for decades. (I even have a cardboard box of wool strips I picked up at a yard sale in the eighties.) The forced isolation of the pandemic gave me the time and motivation to try my hand at this craft. 

My first venture into this new-to-me craft was into penny rugs, which are made of circles of felt. Some of the fabrics are leftover pieces from garments I sewed long ago. There is even some purple wool from a long skirt my mother made for me when I was in college. Now I get to look at that every day and think of her! 

Here is my result.

Next I learned twining, which is an ancient craft dating to at least the Neolithic age. Who knew? I watched a bunch of videos on rug twining and built a frame out of scrap pieces of wood in the basement and drove 110 screws into the frame. Phew! (If you look closely, you’ll notice that my wonkily crooked screws look like an adolescent’s teeth in desperate need of orthodontia.) 

Here is my first twined rug in progress on the loom. I finished that one and started a new one in greens and blues for my husband to use when glamping. 

And, of course, there’s reading. Lots and lots of reading. I have another month of Book Challenge by Erin 14.0. I finished the first round of 10 books and am working on the bonus round with 3 books completed so far.

I know that I have been lucky in that I often naturally enjoy solitary activities, and I know that many people have suffered far, far too much. But I hope everyone has been able to find a little good in isolation. Good in everything.

How about you? Have you found some good in everything isolation-wise? Have you started any new ventures? Taken any hikes? Read any cool books? What is the first thing you will do when the pandemic ends?

Chin up! It will end. Even Groundhog Day eventually turned to a new day.