As we are confined in our oh-so-gloomy homes and rooms, we often blame our restricted lives on COVID-19, who also goes by the much flashier “Coronavirus”. While infectious, the virus may actually be a good thing.

1. Finish binging shows your teachers don’t let you finish: During school, the “Recently Watched” section of your go-to binging platform may be feeling a little (or completely) empty. If you feel like you haven’t been able to love your shows as much as you used to, being stuck at home gives you all the time in the world to catch up on what you’ve missed. If you have more than one device with you, feel free to finish episodes while your teacher fiddles with Zoom technology. You’ll have at least an hour before actual instruction begins. 
2. Reading more books: Remember all those books that you purchased, either paperback, hardback, or—god forbid, on an e-reader? You were constantly able to avoid their pretentious glares by  hiding them under piles of Google Classroom assignments and Cornell Notes. By forcing you to stay home, Covid-19 has brought upon us the Age of Enlightenment. As you wallow in sadness from lack of Netflix, social contact, boba and a future, why not turn to a book, after you’ve finished binging all there is to binge? Say, you might even read something interesting! Some theorize that COVID-19 was a direct play by the American Library Association and Barnes and Noble to make people read more books. Hopefully their efforts weren’t for naught.
3. Spend more time with pets: If pets had a language and record-keeping system, 2020 would be like what 2012 was to us— the epitome of comfortable living. Staying home all the time means you have all the time to spend with your pets. Your dogs, cats, birds, fish, siblings, and rocks probably have no idea why you’re suddenly home from 8 AM to 4 PM-ut they’re eager to spend these quarantine hours with you, whether it is stealing your food, scavenging for food, or begging for food.
4. College Applications: Do you find your resume dry? Are your peers doing way more impressive things than you are? The Covid-19 era is your chance to finally do something worthwhile instead of watching TV shows all day, you lazy potato of a human. Take advantage of the fact that many people lack resources to do some selfish or genuine good. Donate supplies, offer support, and be a good person. Then, slap it on your resume and college applications. Send them to admissions once college apps season rolls around, where their officers will be eager to read about something unique you did. Yes, something totally unique and completely selfless that happened under circumstances that almost everybody in the continental United States was affected by. 

The time is right. We need to start enjoying quarantine.