It’s amazing how much difference a year can make. I was looking up (yep, on Google) the ten top things that were searched out on the internet in 2019.  They included one cable channel (Disney Plus), a film (Avengers Endgame), a television show (Game of Thrones), 2 actors who died young (Cameron Boyce and Luke Perry), a rapper (Nipsey Hussle), and the latest iphone. The top ten list also included two actual news stories – one about Jussie Smollet, who apparently perpetrated a false police report. The other? Well, it was about Hurricane Dorian, the endless storm that caused a lot of damage and took lives.

            As I read this list (and I had to look up several of the items to even know what/who they were), I realized that internet searches may be conducted much more often by younger people than I. The other thing that struck me was that, with the exception of the big storm, the items being searched were either gossip or fluff. In other words, not really helpful to our daily lives – unless we plan to watch a channel, a show, or a movie based on our search. But even so…

            Compare that to this year!  The tallies aren’t in yet for 2020, but I’m betting that our list of searches includes more important things to our well-being than those we looked up in 2019. USA Today provided a list of 100 things to do during the pandemic of 2020. I looked at that list and was actually quite impressed. Except for a couple of fluffy items (like “sleep more,” which annoys me only because who can make themselves sleep more? Is that even possible?), the list included things that could not only make a difference in our lives during the pandemic stay-at-home order, but possibly for much longer.

            I’ve taken the ten that struck my fancy the most. But if you want to look up all 100, the article is on the following website:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2020/03/16/coronavirus-quarantine-100-things-do-while-trapped-inside/5054632002/

            Based on the USA Today article, here were my top ten searches for 2020 (so far)!

  1.  Look up how to play an instrument and practice. I already know a couple of instruments, so I used the time to watch some experts teach me new tricks.
  2.  Teach yourself yoga or stretching from youtube. I actually ordered a DVD on Tai Chi and have learned some basic routines. Very soothing!
  3. Learn how to meditate .Try lying down with your eyes closed, palms up, while focusing on your breath. This is also very soothing.
  4. Look up videos on how to knit or crochet. I tried knitting. I wasn’t very good at it, but I did try.
  5. Find out how to have an indoor scavenger hunt. I have one ready for the next time we are with real people who would enjoy this activity.  This one was fun to research.
  6. Write poetry. I wrote some and posted it, too (on Reddit).
  7. Learn a new style of dance via youtube, possibly bellydancing or breaking. I tried to learn tap dancing, but ended up just doing the watusi.
  8. Learn the words to “Tung Twista.” Get them so ingrained in your brain that you can rap them as fast as Twista can. Impress everyone.  I’m still working on it. If rap doesn’t thrill you, try to memorize the lyrics of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” by Billy Joel. Same kind of impressive work there!
  9.  Learn origami. Make cranes for your loved ones.  I haven’t mastered this yet. My cranes look like folded squares, sadly.
  10. Finally, study the art of beatboxing. Don’t know what that is? Watch “13 levels of beatboxing: easy to complex” on youtube. This features an amazing young woman named Butterscotch who will fascinate you with beatboxing!

So…what did you search for on the internet during the pandemic?