Social distancing, day one

Saturdays are days when I often do nothing, or get nothing done. I'm more likely to engage in purposeful behavior on a Sunday afternoon. Today, Saturday, March 14, day one of social distancing in my neck of the world, is no different. So far:

1. Started a shopping list so that in one more trip to the grocery store, where I need to pick up a prescription, I can also get all the things I need so that I can stop going to the grocery store.

2. Took the Enneagram test, because I thought it would maybe provide insight and help me think about things in all the thinking time ahead. Also, didn't have anything more pressing to do. My highest score was a tie for Type 1 and Type 5; my second-highest score was a tie between 6, 3, 4, 2 and 8. The PDF file I received via email with my results is 37 pages long. Apparently I contain many worlds.

3. Met my neighbor across the street via text messaging. She was responding to a note I left on her porch before Christmas with a package that had been delivered to my house by mistake. Said she'd been meaning to do that for a long time. Seems like we may get to know each other better. Curious that today was a day to make a new acquaintance.

4. Limited my news intake to 15-20 minutes of headlines on my phone before getting out of bed. Very effective for reducing anxiety.

5. Made gluten-free pancakes with Eliza. Okay to eat / but they ain't wheat.

6. Noticed the many corners and floors and cluttered spaces in my house that, were I to use my time at home profitably, ought to be thoroughly cleaned.

7. Thought about starting my taxes. Thought it about for maybe 10 seconds. Baby steps.

8. Thought about doing some yoga. Visualizing that now. I think late-afternoon light is best for yoga, don't you?

9. Read yesterday's and today's devotion from "Lent Is Not Rocket Science." Contemplated whether there might be life in other parts of the universe, and what this might mean. Five or ten minutes of cosmic thinking lightens my heart.

10. Read through the lessons for tomorrow's livestream worship service. Will need to reckon with Paul in Romans saying that suffering builds endurance, which builds character, which builds hope. Hope does not disappoint us. All true, but still hard in practice.