Studying from home during a pandemic has supplied me with countless opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered, because quite simply, they wouldn’t exist. One month into my final semester of undergrad, and my final semester studying at home (working at home comes next!), these are some of the moments I am the most grateful for, where I have found joy in the most unexpected places.
Watching the wonders of nature unfold before me.
I got to watch the trees change at home for the first time in years.
There are a ton of mature trees in my neighborhood and daily walks meant that I was there every morning to see the March buds turn to bright June greens and fade into the glorious reds and yellows of October, before reaching the ground and coating the ground in a crunchy brown by November. It was magical.
A relatively uninterrupted routine.
With nowhere else to be, I got to create the ultimate routine for myself and my class schedules. The only thing that stood in my way of 5:45 am wake ups were migraines last fall and thankfully, morning migraines were few and far between. I had control of my sleep and my surroundings like I’ve never had before.
Experimenting in the kitchen.
I tried a ton of recipes over the summer, which I talked about in this blog post. The melting potatoes are still a favorite, for sure. It’s definitely time to get back to trying new recipes!
No work stress.
Yes, some school stress, but I didn’t realize how stressful some elements of my job as an RA were until I didn’t have to deal with them anymore. While I can’t imagine my sophomore and junior years without being an RA and had fully intended to work my senior year as well, there was definitely joy in the freedom from the intense responsibilities I had living on campus. When you’re at home and there are others who can take charge in an emergency, but also a significantly lower chance of there even being an emergency, you don’t have to be “on” all the time.
Time spent doing the things I should’ve been doing.
There are things, like rearranging my bedroom, that I’ve wanted to do for years, but the time was never right. Either I was too busy or I wasn’t feeling well or my family wasn’t able to help me because they had their own stuff going on. Everyone being forced to stop and be home meant we could do those things like move furniture and clean out closets and reorganize, but also eat more meals outside as a family as the weather warmed up. My dad joked that I was finally pulling my weight in the garden this season, by which he means I essentially did it all once the veggies were in the ground. I loved the hour I spent in the garden doing maintenance and removing slugs as the sun came up from June to October.
I also got the chance to lounge around and spend hours with my nose in a sudoku book, write letters to friends, get better at crocheting, and embrace the quiet that had fallen over the world.
The world is full of little joys, even when the big picture feels overwhelming.
Keep looking, you’ll find them. Let me know what some of your little joys of the past year or your time at home were in the comments below!
2 Comments
This was such a nice post to read. I would say some of my small joys include consistently making coffee at home instead of going out, finding new activities to do outside, and being able to stay out of public helped me feel more comfortable in my body and style. Beautiful pictures as always.
February 23, 2021 at 12:55 pmThank you! I’ve found it interesting looking back at my own style choices as well, knowing that I’m not dressing for certain occasions anymore or needing to present myself a certain way has definitely impacted what clothes I’m reaching for. The joy of outdoor activities is something I really hope we continue to pursue in the future!
March 14, 2021 at 3:11 pm