Five Things to Do This Spring

A Note from the Editors: At The Attic we are always sensitive to the world around us, and while we can’t solve the current crisis, we hope to remain a source of calm and comforting escape for our readers. Our content may be less frequent at the moment, but will remain more or less the same in coverage and style. Our submissions will remain open for anyone wishing to take part.

Photo by Raquel Reyes.

“April, dressed in all his trim, hath put the spirit of youth in everything.”

— William Shakespeare, Sonnet 98

It seems odd to say that time keeps moving forward, that Spring is out there, going on without us, as we do everything in our power to keep ourselves, our friends, and family safe in these continuing unfortunate times — adjusting to a new work/life balance, striving to keep calm, wondering what comes next, or even all of the above. Still, we have awoken with a new day, a new month, new opportunities to bloom as the season would want us to. 

This isn't a conventional “Five Things” for The Attic on Eighth, as we usually espouse Spring activities to bring out the social butterfly in all of us, from heading outdoors to organizing all of the adventures we can muster, but we remain hopeful these will be options again one day in the future. For now, we continue to espouse even more fundamental Attic activities, like staying home and taking care of ourselves so that we may take care of each other. 

I think the usual ideas are already out there, be they learning a new skill, picking up a new period drama for ultimate escapism, or using new time to do some spring cleaning — I don’t discourage anything that feels like progress, and am currently taking part in all of these! — but as someone who has spent a greater part of the last few years as not only a freelancer working from home but also a general homebody, I can attest that there are both highs and lows to it all. Resolutions and dramatic ventures are well and good, but to cope, I believe in spreading them out amongst smaller, attainable habits that make home a more enjoyable place to be, whether by virtue of choice or privilege of ability in a pandemic. So, here are five other ways of spending your time at home this season. 

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Take a turn about the room.

On the average day off, it’s reasonably appealing to stay in bed, or on the sofa, all day; or working from home, to sit in one attitude typing or scrolling or zoom-ing the day away. All of those breaks they tell you to work into your new schedule? That moment Netflix stops to ask, “Are you still watching?” — put everything down, move away from what you're doing, and take a slow stroll or movement around your home. It only takes a minute, but it can freshen your mind, give you a chance to notice the light streaming in another room, and top up your drink or water glass. If you’re isolating with others, take the chance to check in on them, or toss a toy with your pet. This might also be the moment to change your activity if you can... switch off the laptop and pick up a book or craft, settle in a different area so you don’t get too tired of any one place.

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Plan a few everyday occasions.

 As we’re all officially eating at home, something I’ve done for ages and continue to do now is to embrace the art of the meal. Again, if you’re isolating with others, this is an excellent opportunity to check in and catch up on what you may have all been doing in your otherwise time apart, and even bond a little by cooking together. Whether you’ve cooked or helped a local restaurant offering take out, food is a sacred commodity that deserves the attention put into it. Effort has been made! So celebrate that and follow through. Set the table (any table, I’ve dined on everything from moving boxes in the center of a living room floor to a coffee table in my bedroom) with napkins and proper silverware, bring over a pitcher of water and glasses for everyone, leave all of your phones in the next room to avoid distracted scrolling, light some tapers or tealights, and have an old fashioned meal. Include a starter salad and easy dessert and pretend you’re all in your own period drama, where the act of rushing through any dish would be considered an extreme faux pas. Let a record or some classical playlist lightly blow through in the background. Tell stories, if you have them. If you’re on your own, let a fun podcast play in the background or an audiobook with lots of dinner scenes. If you must include a visual, make it a classic or something you’re not already binging before bed. Most importantly, don’t reserve yourself to dinner. Plan your breakfasts, lunch on the balcony, cocktail hours or tea parties. (And please change out of your pajamas for at least some of them.)

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Change your surroundings!

If your home has been neglected up to this point for sheer lack of time, spring cleaning is no doubt on your list, and nothing better than a blank slate to really make your home the oasis you want it to be, or even if it already is, to give it a spruce. Rearrange your books, your gallery wall, move your desk to the other side of a room if you can manage the weight safely, or even just give it a spin and sit on a different side. Display unconventional items like a beloved piece of clothing or vintage glass you’re too afraid to use but that makes you happy to look at. Design is a fluid movement, and even without buying a single thing, rotating the items in your line of sight will help avoid the visual exhaustion of being in the same place for so many days in a row. While we usually do this seasonally, or for holidays alone, any refreshing change to your everyday (except bangs — please don’t cut bangs) is worth pursuing.

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Embrace nostalgia...

We’ve always lived in times of getting to the next big thing. It’s so easy to fantasize about what comes next, the places we’ll go and things to do as soon as we get the chance, that we forget about everywhere we’ve been and how much we enjoyed those times. If you are cleaning out your house, or camera roll even, take the time to really look at every memory. Read through old journals and notes, or sit down and write about that trip you never posted about, and all of the things you saw and did that you didn’t share online for clout. Call or text the friends or family you share some of these old memories with, and laugh about the good times to get through the pain and panic. If you wish you were still there, you’re probably not the only one.

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Give yourself some grace.

At the end of the day, none of these things may seem manageable. That’s okay. You’ve read this far. Come back and read it again in a few days and see if things have changed. Sleep in if you need, eat your cereal in bed for a few meals in a row, wear sunglasses indoors if the light is hurting your eyes. Let yourself rest, because perhaps one of the most popular misbeliefs is that we need to make everything of this sudden, shocking moment. We don’t. Things are impossibly hard. The only thing you really have to do right now is make sure you make it through, and you can go and conquer the world another time.

This goes without saying, but our eternal gratitude lies with the medical, essential workers, and those otherwise unable to shelter as we have the fortune to right now. Stay safe, friends!

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Raquel Reyes is Creative Director at The Attic on Eighth. She enjoys styling photo shoots, old fashioned cocktails, and reading every book published on a single topic she can find.