I use the Notes App on my iPhone to keep track of all the random ideas that pop into my head throughout the day. Today I did the iPhone version of spring cleaning and deleted all the olds notes I no longer need, like the invitee list for Julian’s birthday party last fall, the first grade holiday party checklist, and Christmas gift ideas.

For shits and giggles, here are some of the notes that I just can’t explain:

• Troglodyte houses – France
• Fun Words: Spondulicks
• And I’m skipping

I can kind of explain the first two notes. I vaguely recall reading about troglodyte houses in a novel and I must have thought they would make a cool setting for my fantasy novel in progress. And “spondulicks” is a word that means “money, cash” so who wouldn’t want to put that in their iPhone notes?

But “And I’m skipping”??? That’s the whole note – those words constitute bot title and substance – and I have not a bloody clue as to the when, where or why behind those three words. (Meaning of life? A really bad haiku? Too much caffeine? Again?)

More recently, my notes relate to quarantine and shelter at home:

• “quarantine science experiments” (watch out, baking soda stash, your days are numbered!)
• “Corona stories” (because of course my brain is processing this whole fiasco by turning it into a novel)
• “after quarantine” (I’ll write a separate post about my post-Covid-19 bucket list)

I always have multiple notes with ideas for blog posts. I started two in March, and damn, the differences between the two notes really demonstrates how drastically my life has been transformed by Covid-19.

During the first half of March, I wanted to write blog posts about:

• Noom updates
• Girl Scout cookie chair reflections and how the experience helped me grow and come to grips with my anxiety
• Hot Yoga – tips for newbies, my journey and progress, what I have learned
• Aquarium mishaps and lessons

I am still using Noom and it’s a big factor in keeping me healthy and sane during these Crazy AF times. I wrapped up the Girl Scout cookie chair season just a couple of weeks ago, and yet that seems about five lifetimes ago. The hot yoga studio I love and adore is closed during sheltering at home and I won’t be able to go there until at least May. And the aquarium – well, I love our aquarium but it’s not the most pressing thing on my writing mind these days.

The list of blog ideas that I started after my kids’ schools closed is a bit more timely:

• ways to play and have fun at home
• grateful my shoulder went out last year and I got myself into better shape before pandemic started
• ditto for the dishwasher – thank goodness is crapped out in December and did not survive a few more months!
• poor Claire! will she get to be bachelorette?
• it feels like this will never end
• this is tougher for my kids than it is for me
• what works for us does not necessarily work for others.

I am not going to make any promises as to what blog posts I’ll actually get around to writing. I often decide, about ten minutes before I get to my laptop, what I am going to blog about, and then my fingers touch the keyboard and I write about something else entirely. But I am going to keep blogging because every blog post makes me feel a little more centered and sane. I have always wanted to develop a regular blog practice — blogging is not exactly as trendy or sexy as it used to be, but it does feel right for me. So at least as far as blogging is concerned, sheltering at home is helping me develop a good habit that has eluded me until now.

Maybe in all the darkness and weirdness and uncertainty of the pandemic, some good things will actually emerge.