Column: Harry Potter’s magic remains

I am sitting in my car in Cobb parking deck while Harry walks into the Forbidden Forest to meet Voldemort. I can’t bring myself to pull my key out of the ignition and walk to the library.

I am doing the dishes at work while Harry forces Dumbledore to finish the poisonous potion protecting one of Voldemort’s horcruxes. I’m not crying, it’s just the soap.

I’m walking home from class when Ron and Hermione kiss for the first time. I do a little leap of joy, grab my phone and scroll back to listen again.

I giggle audibly at one of Fred and George’s jokes while picking out produce at Harris Teeter, attracting stares.

Since this summer, I’ve been using UNC’s wonderful Media Resources Center to check out Harry Potter audiobooks. Every employee there knows me by now — I’m the girl who knows exactly when audiobooks are due back to the media center.

The Harry Potter books carried me through a soul-crushing summer class and my daily commute to work. They’ve made grocery shopping feel like a big adventure into the Hogwarts kitchens.

My junior year of college has been far better than my first or sophomore years for several reasons, but I think it’s the little things, the small routine changes, that have made the most noticeable difference.

And this change — adding some extra witchcraft, mystery and joy to my day­— ­­has made a huge difference. I’m often inclined to spend any spare second trying to take something off my to-do list. I dream about Google Docs more frequently than I care to admit.

Those specific free moments that appear each day, walking to and from class, doing the dishes, running errands, etc., they could be filled with planning and worrying. And when I’m not careful, that’s exactly what seeps into those moments.

But having a Harry Potter audiobook in my earphones fills that space in a way that feels meaningful. It can take me to Diagon Alley, Privet Drive, Grimmauld Place, and all over the wizarding world.

Worry and planning are good in moderation, but I think most college students have felt the crushing anxiety that accompanies schedule coordination. Papers, exams, internship applications, clubs and jobs — my heart rate spikes just thinking about it all. However, anxiety and stress are pointless in those small moments where you can’t do anything about all those tasks anyway.

You can’t apply for an internship while buying food or waiting in line at the dining hall. You’re not going to write a ten-page research paper while walking to class. So why not stop trying to make every single moment productive and instead set aside those little times for something that is pure fun?

For me, it’s podcasts and audiobooks of the Harry Potter series. Find what works for you; it could be calling your grandparents on the walk to class or listening to an album that you loved in middle school. Just inject a little jolt of joy to break up the daily routine. Even Hermione knew that every moment doesn’t need be spent studying.