YOU NEED TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE RIGHT NOW BY HANNAH SCHWEITZER

 At this time last year, I was locked down at home with my mom and sister. As much as I love spending time with them, spending every day in the same house with the same people begins to wear on you physically and mentally. 

Though things are beginning to move slowly back to normal, it’s easy to slip into your quarantine routine. I only really leave the house when I go spend time with my friends, go to the store, or go to my one in-person class this semester. Routine, especially one that includes sitting in front of your laptop for hours, is draining. I found myself slipping into a malaise and losing passion for things I used to love. At the end of last semester, I made a promise to myself that in the spring I would stop thinking about how my junior year could be better and start making it better. 

One thing I really looked forward to my junior year was travel. Last summer, I was supposed to take my first plane ride over to southern Europe and explore Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Slovenia. I then tried to reapply and go see Australia this J-term which again was canceled. Though these would have been incredible trips, I realized that traveling is more than going miles away. 

As I am writing this, I am sitting in a beachside cottage in Muskegon, Michigan. It was only a 6-hour drive, but I have already made so many great memories in a place I have never been with people that I love. So, take a little adventure. It can be 5 minutes away or 5 miles away, just make sure it’s new and not coming from a laptop screen.