As we approach week two of quarantine, the novelty of waking up late and taking our beloved dogs on many walks quickly starts to fade away. 

With everything but healthcare services indefinitely shut down, we are stuck with one meandering question: what are we supposed to do? 

For starters, we must think of this quarantine as an opportunity to appreciate all we once took for granted. 

Nicole Corso, junior at Penn State, said that she “never appreciated being able to walk through [her] school’s campus, or going out to eat with [her] family, but now, there’s nothing [she] wants more than to go out for something besides going grocery shopping.” 

Kim Corso, mother of three, said that “being quarantined has been an awesome time to rekindle with family. While it is certainly a lot of family time, [her] daughters are always out and about, so for the family to be able to all watch movies together every night has been so nice.” 

Movie night has definitely been taken advantage of in the Corso household, but there are only so many movies to watch! 

Now more than ever, it’s a perfect time to manifest in our vocabulary and start those books that we just “never had time to read.” 

Even if it’s just 20 minutes a day, there is no harm in reading any book. Finding a good book will be the best distracter from the news and outside world, for you can dive deep into a good book and have all day to enjoy it.

Alongside reading and exercising our brains, we must also exercise our bodies! 

Owning a pet or not, walks outside are at an all-time high! Whether it’s listening to music and clearing your mind, running in the morning to get a fresh start to the day, or taking a walk after dinner with your family, these next few weeks are an opportunity to take advantage of the spring weather. 

Speaking of spring, although our favorite day of Rita’s and Dairy Queen “free cone/water ice day” has been postponed, they are still open for business! 

Both the Rita’s and Dairy Queen on Easton Road are serving customers with the best ice cream and water ice – a good blizzard or gelati is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face after many, many homecooked meals. 

So, as we all impatiently sit around wishing this quarantine away, lets seize this as an opportunity to start the activities we never have time for, and build new happy and healthy habits!