Quarantining is different for everyone - stressful, daunting, boring, peaceful, fun, you name it. It’s been an adjustment for all. While many of us would be happy to stroll through city streets and hang out with friends, the safest thing to do right now is to stay at home to stop the spread of COVID-19.
We’ve been quarantined for over a month, so it’s likely that you found great ways to spend your time and add normalcy to your life. Maybe you decided to reread some of your childhood books or read them to your kids. One great series that can be fun for you and your kids is Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s a 13 book series about three Baudelaire orphans - Violet, Klaus, and Sunny - who try to escape the clutches of Count Olaf, as he tries to capture their fortune. The books are thought provoking, exciting, and hilariously sarcastic. An added bonus is that there’s a Netflix series that definitely does the books justice.
As I’ve been reading the books and watching the series, I picked up on a few quarantine tips that the Baudelaire children can offer:
Use what you have
As the name suggests, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny always find themselves in a never-ending series of unfortunate events. They’re essentially quarantined in a new place in each book. They have a hard time escaping from these places, like Olaf’s filthy house, or the Caligari Carnival, which is located in the middle of the Hinterlands and full of hungry lions.
Since the Baudelaires don’t have their own possessions or the means to get what they need, they are great at using what they already have. Violet finds clever ways to make inventions out of their limited resources. For example, she makes a bungee rope out of materials in a hospital closet to help them escape from a burning hospital, and she makes a rope out of ties to help her climb down an elevator shaft.
Likewise, try to use what you have to keep yourself fed and happy! There are many recipes online for creating delicious meals out of pantry items. If you have pasta, canned tomatoes, canned anchovies, garlic, and olive oil, you can make Pasta Puttanesca, which the Baudelaires actually make for Count Olaf and his troupe. Besides using food you have, clean your house and you’ll certainly find items that you don't need to go out to buy. For instance, you’ll find cleaning supplies that you bought years ago and forgot you had or games that were gifted to you and you never played. Check out streaming channels that you’re already paying for to find new shows or movies to watch.
Pick up a new hobby
Because the Baudelaires find themselves in unusual settings, they have to go with the flow and learn the ins and outs of their current living situation. They have to learn how to work at a lumber mill, navigate a submarine, and prepare meals.
In their case, it is a matter of life or death that causes the Baudelaires to acquire new skills. In your instance, you have more time, flexibility, and the internet to help you with a new hobby. For example, there are coloring books, painting kits, online workouts, board games, trivia games, virtual museum visits, virtual performances, and so much more at your disposal.
Do your research
The Baudelaires always find comfort in a library. Although they are far from comfortable in every book, they immediately feel better when they find a library. Some libraries are large, some are small, but everyone has at least one book lying around. Read more during the quarantine!
In the Baudelaire case, they use the libraries to figure out Olaf’s plans and to research more about the secret organization VFD and their parents’ backgrounds. In your case, you can keep up with changes in your current area of law, brush up on interesting cases that could help you become a better lawyer, or dive into another area of law. Besides researching law itself, you can do more research into the business aspect of your company, and learn more about streamlining your practice.
Fun fact - the Baudelaires have to research nuptial law. Olaf tries becoming Violet’s husband in order to steal their fortune, but luckily, that plan fails. Although we don’t generate nuptial law leads, we do generate Social Security disability, employment law, personal injury, and workers’ compensation leads. If you would like to learn more about them as a part of your research during the quarantine, please feel free to contact us at 617.800.0089!