How I Learned to Enjoy My Tentacle Acres

If you’ve noticed, I haven’t been that active on this blog lately. (Remember that time when I literally posted every day? Ambitious and a little crazy.) The reason isn’t anything groundbreaking, actually. I’ve just been trying to navigate the overwhelming feeling that comes from how tedious a routine can be—and as an adult, I think it’s important to sit with that feeling and assess it.

But don’t get me wrong: I’m quite an organized person, and having an established routine is something I like to hold on to. Doing things neatly according to their own schedule is a principle I find fulfilling. I like knowing what I’m going to do for the day—and the next few, too.

But if adulting has taught me anything, it’s that repeating the same routine can be too much of a good thing sometimes. Remember that episode in SpongeBob SquarePants when Squidward moves to Tentacle Acres? Even someone as rigid as him goes a little crazy from doing the same thing every day! I mean, he’s the Squidward—and even he got bored!

With that said, I’ve realized that what I need to do isn’t to find a way out of my Tentacle Acres. I still love having a routine. And I still need my job to pay the bills.

I just have to make every day feel exciting by having something to look forward to.

Whether it’s something simple (like planning a unique date night next weekend) or something bigger (like creating an itinerary for an upcoming trip), having something to look forward to can make your routine feel a little less tedious.

You have to get on the crowded bus for your commute? That’s fine—you can picture your partner’s happy face on your upcoming date night.

You have to work on those complicated, absurd data sets again? No worries—once they’re done, they won’t haunt you on your vacation.

It’s Monday already? Be glad—it means you’re one week closer to something exciting.

Being spontaneous won’t hurt, either. A few days ago, I decided to take a different bus route and got off about a mile from home. I ended up finding joy in walking a little farther that night. It was raining quite heavily, and some spots were nearly flooded, but there I was—walking under my umbrella, smiling behind my mask, feeling unexpectedly joyful.

(I was, um, a little out of shape—but still joyful regardless.)

If you like this post, you might also enjoy A Much-Needed Monday Reset (Because Sunday Usually Gets Hectic) and How an Imaginary Snake Slapped Me in the Face.