The Urge to do Something

by Raegan Densmore

Reference: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/17/bc/28/17bc286b5e2a1f5123ec396e7fd9fe10.jpg 

As I walked around downtown Halifax today, it reminded me of being back in Toronto walking around the city. I miss it all the time. Walking through the city is what I would do when I was bored, and it did not necessarily involve spending money, in fact, oftentimes I didn’t spend a dime. It felt as though I was doing something, rather than sitting in my room all day doing nothing but having my face glued to my phone. Even now, I have this constant feeling that I am wasting time, that I need to do something everyday, whether it be productive, getting out of the house, or simply getting off of my phone. 

Now that I am home, I do a lot of driving. When I am driving somewhere far, it is typically to do something for someone else, or to go to work. But occasionally I enjoy going out for myself, by myself. As an independent person, I love to go out and have fun alone. It can be quite peaceful, and there is no feeling of being rushed, that is, until I get a family member asking where I am and that someone needs to go somewhere. Regardless, it is nice to get out of the house, even for a little while. 

Each morning, I tend to wake up earlier and drive to Robins. This year I have been trying to become more of a morning person, because in my mind, if I wake up earlier, my days will be longer and there is more time to do things. I don’t always go to Robins by myself, oftentimes I go with my Dad, brothers, or a friend. Going to Robins gives me a reason to go for a drive, which I enjoy doing, it also gives me a reason to put on something other than sweats, and I get my iced coffee for the day. 

Doing something each day, for me, does not only involve leaving the house. I have been liking the idea of doing typical summer activities this year. For example, sitting outside and having a bonfire, like my Mom and I occasionally do each summer, and also, swimming. Throughout the last couple of years, swimming was not much of my thing; I avoided beach trips, I didn’t go in the pool much, however this year, I have already been harassing my Dad about setting the pool up. But even doing activities indoors is enough for me to feel like I have done something that day. I love doing crafts, for instance, the last couple of days, I have upcycled old clothing that I hardly wore and have also made new jewelry. There is something so great about wearing items that I made or designed. For that, I believe it is never a waste of time. 

This eagerness to go on drives, to do these activities, to do something, has most likely stemmed from being stuck to a screen for so long that it has become boring and quite miserable. When I am bored at home, it is so easy to just grab my phone and open TikTok. Not only has it ruined my attention span, but it has made me quite hobby-

less. Now, I feel as though I need to do something other than that everyday. I am someone who loves to go out and explore, which is why Toronto has been a great place to be. But also, doing something does not always have to involve going somewhere. It can involve being productive, starting hobbies, making crafts at home, or spending time outside. In the end, it is still okay to have lazy days, to “waste time”, but it feels much better to feel accomplished than to do nothing at all.