Hidden Treasures

by Raegan Densmore

I have thought about it all the time recently; I was at this vintage shop in Toronto, looking at their $5 CDs. Two of the CDs were “Core” and “N°4” by Stone Temple Pilots. At the time, I hadn’t really listened to their music, but now I do all the time and deeply regret not getting at least one of those CDs. With that occurrence and many more that I have experienced, it has made me realize that sometimes the best way to discover your interests is to go outside and explore. 

A couple weeks ago, I had a similar experience. I was thrifting in Truro and came across a couple t-shirts of the same band; Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Now I know that a lot of people are against wearing t-shirts of a band you don’t listen to as that makes you a “poser”, but I liked one of the shirts, I like Oasis, (which Noel Gallagher is a part of), and I decided I would get the shirts and listen to some of this band’s music during my drive home. Turns out, I really like their music. Which makes me glad I found that shirt. Of course, I could have easily found the band on my phone, using a music app, like Spotify. But there is something much more special about finding a new interest when you least expect it. 

It's easy to go online and find out from others what is good, or not. What is “trendy” or what is “lame”. Of course, it is great to hear opinions of something before you spend your money on it. But just because someone likes something, does not mean you necessarily will. During my free time, I loved to walk the streets of Toronto to find a cool place to explore. Most of the time it ended up being cafes, which there are a lot of in Toronto. On one of my last days there, I came across this cafe/pastry shop called “Kream”. It looked really cute inside so I decided to give myself a little treat for finishing all my exams. I ordered a strawberry espresso latte, and it was a very enjoyable experience. There are a lot of coffee reviews on Tiktok, some people really like one place, or some another, or some people disagree. Personally, I think it is the best to discover a place yourself one day, and form your own opinion.

Now, not every new interest to be explored has to do with spending money. Though, I myself need to get better at being able to have fun without spending. This upcoming school year, I plan to join more clubs. There are countless clubs at my school, covering some of the most mainstream and even the most niche interests. Not only can you find them online but it is so easy to discover them in person from posters, certain events on campus, and other things. Last year, I attended a couple track meets/races from my school’s running club. I have enjoyed track for a long time, but the last time I was in a track club, it was at my high school, and it was with people that I knew. I went into this club not knowing anyone or really anything about it. But I met some really nice people and would have loved to go back if my schedule hadn’t gotten so busy. I would love to join it again this year, along with some new clubs to discover new interests and new people. 

The best way to discover a new interest is to go out and do it, or find it somewhere. Whether it be finding a new favourite band at a vintage store, finding a new favourite hobby from attending a club you discovered from a poster in a school building, or simply going outside and walking around. It is easy to discover interests on social media, but social media is so addicting it can be hard to get off of the internet and actually discover that interest. It can simply be more fun to find an interest out and about one day, perhaps in a random way, and it also provides a cool story to tell as well.