As you’re probably aware, right now the entire world is going through an unprecedented crisis. The Coronavirus. Things can be frightening; we’re all practicing social distancing (hopefully), and, as a result, you’re left at home. You may be going a little stir crazy, eating all your quarantine snacks and getting bored. There’s no shame in that! So with all the extra time on your hands, I am here to suggest one of the best things you can do while quarantining. It’s fun, it’s productive and it will pay off later. Wait for it…We’re going to make time capsules! (haha, get it)?
I have my 11-year-old self to thank for this idea. I had put together a time capsule that I was not allowed to open until my junior year of college. Through fate or some sort of subconscious memory, I found it while rummaging around in my home closet over winter break. Before opening it, I was filled with excitement about what this mysterious envelope contained (I really had no recollection of what I put in there), but I was also nervous that it might be pretty underwhelming. Luckily, I was wrong.
The time capsule’s contents brought a huge smile to my face, a little confusion, some sadness, but, most of all, it brought a lot of laughs! The first things I pulled out were an old math computation journal and a book on how to make friendship bracelets. Right off the bat, the math journal was one of the funniest things. I, a Creative Writing major, would do just about anything to never have to do math again. I never pay for my dinner without whipping out my calculator to find out how much to tip. I have no idea why on earth I put that math book in there, maybe I was trying to be funny. If that’s the case, it definitely worked. On the other hand, I thought it was pretty cute of me to give myself a friendship bracelet book…even though I forgot to include any string.
Next, I pulled out a handful of sealed letters. Each of them had the recipients scrawled on the front. My favorites include “To the friend I’ve known the longest” and “To your other friends.” But the best one has to be, and I quote, “To my boyfriend (if I have one, which I probably do!).” Wow, past me was either very confident or thought boys would be better by now. Sorry to burst your bubble Ingrid because you’re still single…but still confident;)
The last thing I noticed was a few pieces of tattered spiral journal paper that had a letter written to “my future self.” I mentioned my age, my height, my favorite kind of dog breed, my favorite artist (it’s still Taylor Swift btw!) and so on. However, one part of the letter hit me a little bit different. 11-year-old me asked present-day me: “Has global warming ended yet?” It was honestly kind of depressing to read, knowing the state of the world right now, but it also reminded me to keep holding on to the hope for a better future.
I know it may seem hopeless now, especially when so many future events get canceled. Our spring semester is completely changed since we transferred to all online classes, graduation is up in the air, while globally, even the 2020 Olympics have been postponed. But we can’t give up on the future. Keep planning! Take this time to think about the better days ahead like I did 11 years ago. Make your own time capsule. Send a little love to your future self. You won’t regret it.
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