Why do I mention this? Well, because of a cosmic coincidence that bears noting. It occurs to me, as I sit in my basement writing this note in the middle of a global pandemic, that I have set something of a parallel personal record. As of today – May 7, 2020 – I have successfully stayed at home for 56 consecutive days. That’s right, folks. Fifty-six days. Now, that may not impress you so much because my streak demanded no athletic prowess whatsoever. Indeed, it called mostly for sitting on my behind and overeating. More likely, it doesn’t impress because many of you and millions of other people in America and around the world can boast similar streaks. Fair enough.

But as so many of us are in the same boat, I thought I would confess something. As I reflect on my streak – which would have been unthinkable even four months ago – a new feeling has surfaced. On top of the sadness, incredulity, and anger is a creeping sense of squandered time. To be sure, I’ve been working, putting out podcasts, writing, editing, teaching, and … tweeting. But there’s no more commuting, no more public speaking, no more socializing, no more functions to attend, and no more planes to catch. So, as a matter of math, I have more time on my hands. Time, as the wise say, is our most precious commodity, because it is finite and non-renewable. There is no lottery or luxury quite like found time. And so, as I take stock, I am wondering what I have to show for it.

I am no fitter, smarter, or saner. I’ve had no transcendental epiphanies. I don’t have a new book proposal. I’m not beating any deadlines; existing work, as it is wont to do, expands like a gas to fill up the extra time. I have no new hobbies. I’m not even better rested.

Of course, my quarantine is not entirely without accomplishment. I got Apple TV and watched all three seasons of Ozark, both seasons of Barry, three seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and multiple Mike Birbiglia comedy specials. I treated my kids for the first time to Godfather I, Godfather II, The Shawshank Redemption, and Good Will Hunting. (Our brave and defiant plan to view Contagion has not yet materialized.)