Transitioning back to college this semester was not as seamless as I hoped it would be. Obviously, I knew that this year would be unrecognizable from last, but I still naively assumed that moving into my apartment would somehow make things feel a little more normal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy to be back on campus and living with my three wonderful roommates. But I sometimes felt even lonelier than I had felt living at home, because I had no idea how to strike a balance between Normal College Life and Global Pandemic Life. I stayed inside my apartment most of the time, not quite knowing how I was spending my days, which often felt monotonous and never-ending.
Recently, however, I took a step back to reflect. It isn’t that I haven’t been doing things this year, but I just haven’t been doing the bigger, typical college things like I had last year. Life is weird and stressful and lonely right now, yes, but it’s still life. It’s unfair of me to try and compare this year to last year because the circumstances are wildly, unbelievably different. With the lack of normal college events like football games and big get-togethers with friends, I’ve realized just how important the little things in life are. They may seem random or trivial to other people at first glance, but I truly believe that it’s the little things that matter now more than ever. Without further ado, here are 12 little things that have been keeping me busy, grounded, happy and sane for the past two months.
- Puzzles
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My roommates and I have discovered that our coffee table is the perfect puzzling space. We’ve taken to making sure a puzzle is available at all times, for when we need a quick study break or want to zone out for a bit. Turning on a show and focusing on finding puzzle pieces is a much better way of occupying my brain instead of worrying about all the stressful things in life right now.
- Candles
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Now that it’s fall, candles are a must. Our cinnamon-spiced pumpkin candle is the epitome of autumn vibes, and it makes study days or movie nights infinitely cozier. Somehow hours of lectures and homework aren’t quite as terrible when you’re wrapped in a blanket, smelling all the fall scents.
- Bread
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Sourdough bread and banana bread have both become staples in our apartment. My roommate became an expert at making sourdough with her starter (Suzie) over quarantine, and, luckily for the rest of us, her bread-making hobby transferred to apartment life. Nothing can compare to a slice of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread slathered in butter. Additionally, I’ve learned that my roommates and I are either really bad at eating all our bananas or we just really love banana bread, because we always seem to end up with three mushy bananas at the end of each week. No complaints here, because three bananas are perfect for this recipe, which we have decided is hands-down the best banana bread recipe out there—just substitute chocolate chips for the walnuts.
- TikTok
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I have to admit, it took me a long time to get on the TikTok train. I really wanted to hate it, but over quarantine, I gave in and now I kinda love it. While I still consider myself to live mostly under a rock when it comes to popular TikTok dances, trends and sounds, I think incorporating TikTok into my life has been refreshing. It’s nice to waste a bit of time on random yet somehow laugh-out-loud videos every once in a while. Two of my best friends and I send each other all the Harry Potter TikToks we find, which honestly makes my day and keeps us connected.
- One Tree Hill
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In the two weeks before the start of classes, my roommate introduced me to the wild ride that is One Tree Hill. We binged the first season while simultaneously bullet journaling and screaming at the TV. While we’re a lot busier now than we were in August, we try to sneak in some episodes on the weekends as a way to relax after a long week—although, with all the drama, plot twists and character hook-ups, it’s admittedly impossible to be fully relaxed. Regardless, it’s a lot of fun to get invested in the dramas of the Scott brothers instead of the stresses of reality.
- Delusional nights
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After a long day of sitting doing schoolwork and nothing but schoolwork, oftentimes the only thing I want to do is crawl into my bed and go to sleep. However, I’ve learned that some of the absolute best times are when I push through my exhaustion and experience late-night delusion with my roommates. Delusional activities include (but are certainly not limited to): having heated debates about crayon colors, learning how to throw it back at 3am, composing songs about current events, making upside-down chin people, and controlling each other with remotes. Don’t ask.
- Post-It notes
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I’ve always been an avid lover of lists, but recently I’ve gotten really into Post-It notes as an effective organization system. I write my daily to-dos on a bright orange Post-It every morning and stick it underneath my laptop keyboard so that I can have it in sight all day. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as crossing out a task after completing it, and seeing a mostly-crossed out Post-It at the end of the day reminds me that even on days where I feel less productive, I should still feel proud of the work I’ve accomplished.
- Spotify’s Soft Pop Hits playlist
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I am a firm believer that the Spotify Soft Pop Hits playlist makes everything better. The playlist consists of a perfect balance of songs you currently love, old classics that you forgot that you love, and jams that you quickly learn to love. It’s perfect for studying, naps, walks and anything in between. I can’t quite explain it, but something about it just makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay.
- Hot showers
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There’s something magical about hot showers that seems to put everything into perspective. When I’m feeling overwhelmed by school or life (which is a lot of the time), I’ll take a brief productive procrastination break and shower, where I can choose to either shut off my thoughts for fifteen minutes or try to think through my problems—because we all know that shower thoughts are the best thoughts.
- Jam sessions
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Jam sessions are some of the best ways to step away from your phone and your responsibilities. My roommate will whip out her guitar and the four of us will belt out the lyrics to classic jams when we want to have fun or just bask in our feels. Some of our favorites to sing are “Amnesia,” “Never Grow Up,” “White Horse,” and, of course, the transition of “betty” into “All Too Well,” which we get way too into. (If you know us at all, this should come as no surprise.)
- Juggling
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Recently, my roommate and I decided we needed to find a new hobby to occupy all the time we spend in our apartment. With all the leftover apples we had from our apple picking adventure a few weeks ago, we found the perfect outlet: learning how to juggle. We’ve been practicing every night, and not to toot my own horn or anything, but we’re actually getting halfway decent. It just goes to show that with enough motivation (or, in this case, boredom), anything’s possible.
- Lilac toes
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Last but certainly not least, “Lilac toes” became a tradition last year in the dorms, when my friend would leave my dorm room (where she practically lived) and call “Lila tov!” to as she left. “Lila tov,” the Hebrew phrase for “goodnight,” was a Jewish summer camp tradition for my friend that became permanently ingrained in her routine and became her nightly parting freshman year. My roommate interpreted it as “Lilac toes,” and our call-and-answer has stuck ever since. Now that my friend is now officially my roommate, “Lila tov/Lilac toes” has become the most comforting way to end every night.
While these things might not make a lot of sense to you reading this, they mean a lot to me right now. I highly recommend taking a second to evaluate what’s bringing you comfort right now in your life. Whether it’s big or small, random or weird, it’s important to acknowledge these little things in your life and prioritize them to make the world feel a little more manageable right now.