Do you ever wish that you belonged to an earlier time, when it was socially acceptable to wear kid gloves and fancy hats in public? Have you ever wanted to go back in time, to the elegance of the early 19th century or the simplicity of the '40s and '50s?
I understand this feeling; I’ve often wished to go back in time myself. But no need to fear — it is still possible to relive these lovely times, in today’s world. Here are four fun and exciting ways to bring back the simpler times of years past and be classy, in real life.
1. Make yourself a pot of tea for studying.
I traveled to Ireland last summer and experienced the huge importance of tea in European culture. Every restaurant was sure to serve hot tea at every time of the day and for every occasion. Why shouldn’t we emphasize tea-drinking here too? Go buy your own little teapot and cup (you can find these at a thrift store) and find some delicious tea. There’s nothing nicer than drinking a hot cup of tea while you’re pushing through those icky math problems or reading that boring-as-heck history book. Drinking it from a teapot in a real teacup just makes it that much better.
2. Take a walk outside with some friends. Have you ever watched a period film or TV show and noticed how much time the characters spend just walking around? If it’s a nice day, learn the art of strolling outdoors by setting aside a bit of time to walk with some favorite people. It’s a wonderful way to get to know your friends better and to get your workout in. Seriously, a walk in the fresh air always beats jogging at the gym on a treadmill or sitting inside doing nothing.
3. Write letters. Find a pen pal and write regular letters to him/her. Maybe your pen pal can be a cousin, an old friend, or a grandparent. It doesn’t take much time to write up a quick letter while you’re waiting for a class to start or between classes, and there’s nothing like sending and receiving real paper letters in the mail.
4. Listen to some older music. Which older genres sound interesting to you? '50s musicals? Bossanova? Sinatra’s easy listening? Big band? Romantic era piano? Spend some time exploring music in older genres, instead of listening to “Bad Blood” or “Renegades” yet again (aren’t you ready for a change by now?). It’s easy to find some older music on Pandora or Spotify. Hey, you may end up falling deeply in love with old music, as I have. But you won’t know until you try listening to it.
I hope you have lots of fun bringing some of these older practices into your world, as I have. Happy tea drinking and letter writing!
