By: Aisling Gigandet

If you’re anything like me, you’re dying for summer days filled with family and friends. While herd immunity is almost within reach, we all have a responsibility to protect our communities until then. This spring, try out these activities to gear up for summer and safely pass the time.

Start up your summer book club

It’s officially set-up-a-blanket-by-the-campus-pond-and-read season. With hopefully just a few weeks to go until you and your friends are free for summer soirées, now is a great time to start up a book club! Grab your gals and choose a book or two to blow through this spring, before your first in-person book club meeting this summer or fall.

Take a “trash walk”

Hear me out- if you’re sick of your normal quarantine walk route, this spring is the perfect time to accessorize your walk with rubber gloves and a trash bag. Affectionately dubbed a “trash walk” in my household, try spending just 30 minutes removing trash from a local area that you frequent. Cleaning up your neighborhood or a nature trail with your roommates is a great way to get outside and be productive. You’ll definitely earn some good karma- and I hear rubber gloves are very trendy this spring.

Plant an herb garden

Most herbs don’t require a lot of planting experience or any major financial investment. While spring is a great time to start plants outside, you can grow herbs inside year-round, and harvest your fresh basil or cilantro as needed. For a more involved project, you can also test out your green thumb with summer squash, peppers, carrots, lettuce, or other fruits and veggies. Putting in the work this spring will set you up for a yummy summer!

Go stargazing

Between May 4-6, you just might catch a glimpse of shooting stars from the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. If you happen to live in the western U.S., you could view a total lunar eclipse on May 26th! On the east coast, while we probably won’t spot a lunar eclipse, May 26 and June 24th will both grant appearances of supermoons. Even if you don’t observe a meteor shower or lunar eclipse, stargazing (alone or with a roommate) gives you the chance to step back from your busy life, and appreciate the world we live in.

With finals in full swing, don’t forget to take time for yourself. It can be easy to overlook, but any one of these activities can get you outside and enjoying yourself! Of course, keep in mind any CDC and local guidelines that could apply to you while you undertake any of these activities.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html