By — Xandrine Foxfire

…2020’s been bad. like, real bad. we saw the start of a global pandemic, there were murder hornets, a LITERAL STAR went missing, there’s been so much civil unrest- a lot of  generally wonky stuff is happening. As can be imagined, people aren’t coping very well.

There have been various solutions thrown out into the void of online chaos. People have suggestested meditation, going on walks, maybe even baking bread if you can manage to find yeast on the shelves (you don’t actually need to buy yeast if you make a bread starter, but I’ll talk about that at a later date ). A lot of these solutions are… kinda difficult though. not everyone has the time or the energy to be mindful of their surroundings and participate in activities like walking or meditation. some people don’t like baking, or bread (cowards). But we need something to ease the tension, right?

Enter: the blanket fort. Every seven year old knows that blanket forts are rad. Especially if there is meticulous planning that goes into the fort. you know too, deep down, that blanket forts are rad. Even if you haven’t built one in the past few years, the love of a blanket fort is something that embeds itself in your soul. Set it free, build a gosh darn blanket fort.

Blanket forts can be infuriating to make for some people, but at least you’re angry at a blanket and not the news. and the delayed satisfaction is exhilarating. You build a blanket fort and feel like you just built a colosseum. It’s like you’re a world renowned architect all of the sudden. It’s so powerful.

My blanket fort is, simply put, built differently. I set out to build a bed frame and then realized I had all the pieces to build a playhouse frame. Now, having a bedframe is cool and all, but when choosing between the two… my choice is pretty clear. The playhouse wins, everytime. my playhouse is of course, minimalistic, but it is still rad. and I tied a blanket to it! So now it’s a fortress, which is wicked. and The next task on my to-do list is putting string lights up. i’m very excited.

When you’re a kid, blanket forts are usually used to pretend you’re in another world. It can be a castle, or in a carnival tent- it doesn’t really matter. As long as you are elsewhere. As long as you’re someone else. This magic doesn’t fade as you age; if anything it gets better. Stronger. The other day I managed to get to mars while doing my chem homework. It was cathartic.

Tie some blankets to a chair. Cram yourself underneath, make a pillow/stuffed animal nest. Take a minute to pull back from external stresses… then drag your laptop into your fort and be content to do your work in a new space, knowing your plush peers won’t judge you for watching the great british baking show while studying.