As the semester comes to an end, life for the next six weeks will be interesting for many, including myself. Finally, I will have a break from schoolwork, and I will actually not have much to do every day. Since it is only a few weeks off from school, it is hard to get a job, but it is still short enough that it isn’t worth the trouble of finding one. This means I will spend a lot of time at home, not doing much of anything, which, in all honesty, will cause me to go crazy.
I am the type of person to always goes and never rests. Do agree it is amazing to take a break and rest, but I also cannot sit still all day and do nothing. Finding little things to do to pass the time can look unappealing, but I also want to do more than scroll on TikTok all day. Since my break is around Christmas time, a lot of people are also home for the holidays. One activity to do is reach out to a person you haven’t seen in a while and plan a fun afternoon together. You could go grab coffee and lunch at your hometown cafe and go walking around different places. In my hometown, I love to have coffee and lunch at a cafe called Speckled Hen. After the yummy meal at Speckled Hen, I love to go to the different, unique antique shops in town. Antiquing is such a fun activity to do,o especially in the winter. You can find such cuter knick-knacks for a very low price. Another activity I actually started doing this fall is a paint-by-number. When I got the kit, I let it sit on my desk for a few months, but once I started, I could not stop. It took me a few days to complete, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I would put on the TV show Glee and just paint away for a few hours at a time.
One of my favorite things to do to pass the time is take a walk outside, even if it is cold outside. A simple walk around the neighborhood or even driving to a nearby park can help clear your mind and break up the long winter break. Sometimes just breathing in the cold, crisp winter can be more refreshing than what we expect. If the weather is too unbearable to be outside, get in your car, put on your favorite playlist, on just go for a drive to give you a sense of movement and change. Of course, spending time with family is another big part of the break. Whether it is baking cookies, watching Christmas movies, or helping decorate the house and doing small activities together, it makes the break feel more meaningful. These moments make the time off school feel less like an empty pause and more like a reset.
As it suddenly feels weird to have much more free time, I know this break will be good for me. It’s a change to breathe, reset, and find joy in slow, simple moments I usually overlook during the busy semester. Whether I’m painting, antiquing, grabbing coffee with an old friend, or simply taking a walk, I want to make the most of the next six weeks. Who knows, maybe the quiet will be exactly what we all need before everything picks back up again.