Spring may be my third favorite season, but there’s something extremely satisfying about the abrupt change from early darkness and winter jackets to late sunsets and warmer weather.
However, it still comes in third on my list because of the lack of motivation and tiredness that creeps in during the sunnier days. It’s the same time final projects and tests are ramping up and, also, the allergies are as killer as term papers.
With those negative marks against the spring season, it’s easy to stay inside — procrastinating and staying largely allergy-safe. I certainly take that approach most years, but then I always miss out on my favorite seasonal weather.
So this year, armed with a light jacket, I’ve now made it a goal to actually go out with my roommates and enjoy the revival of spring.
It’s been going well so far — even though it is admittedly another form of procrastination.
It first began with a hunt for an ice cream truck.
I had about 14 items on my to-do list and a set plan to waste time reading, watching videos and complaining about the amount of work I had. However, when one of your roommates spots an ice cream truck on campus and texts your other roommates, the inevitable response is “Where is it?” and “Who wants to go?”
I was roped into going almost immediately.
Sadly, when my two roommates and I got to Commonwealth Avenue, there was no truck to be found and the disappointment was palpable.
But the outing didn’t stop there. It was the first day of several days of nice weather, and wasting it seemed depressing at that point. So we headed off to the George Sherman Union determined to get shakes and fries and enjoy them on the BU Beach.
What began as a very sudden –– and semi-irritating start of the outing –– ended up being the most relaxing and chill breath of fresh air. It was a chance to step back from the confining four walls of the dorm that constantly remind you to work, work, work.
When the sun set and the air bit into our skins a little too much for our liking, we went back to our dorms that day promising to enjoy the spring again.
The next week we planned to bike on the Esplanade.
It was another wary start since I hadn’t ridden a bike since elementary school and never rode a rental bike before. But, with some encouragement from my roommates and no real reason not to go, I found myself renting a bike and trying to figure out how to get going.
In all honesty, the cliché “It’s like riding a bike” is not entirely true.
There’s a video out there of me riding away from my roommates on Bay State Road because I wasn’t able to turn around or stop for fear of not being able to get back on again. It didn’t help that the bike was still a little too tall at the lowest setting for me.
Despite the literal shaky start, it was again a stellar experience away from the normal dullness and burnout that kicks in at the end of each semester.
It may sound corny and obvious, but going out was a real newsflash to me. I never had a reason to go out or anyone to push me to do things before this school year. I never realized that having my desk right next to my bed in a dorm I never leave was somewhat tearing down my energy faster than I could build it up. It was just the nature of how school was.
But now, amid the mundane and inevitable school stress, there’s something really fun to look forward to. Even when I get some killer allergies that develop into a week-long illness –– which happened when we went to a picnic and ate breakfast sandwiches in the Boston Public Garden –– it is still worth it.
I found these outings to be little mental holidays, which sincerely helped me take a breather, even more so than spring break. The only real problem is that I have to force myself to do them –– though “ a forced break” is an oxymoron and feels like one too at the time.
However, if it means anything, coming from a homebody, these outings may be strange and new but are completely worth the benefits and weight off your chest for those few hours.
