We live in a world where our entire being is mediated through social media. We absorb every minute of the suggested world shown in social media, and we take it and run with it, or at least that’s what we say we’ll do. But do we ever get around to it? Let’s be honest!
Scrolling through the never-ending list of TikTok worlds will forever be one of my favorite pastimes. My For You Page will bring me down rabbit holes, from cooking videos and recipes that I swear I’ll make this week, to music for every occasion, and journaling tutorials as well as the 5am routine that would probably change my life before my day has even started.
Each video calls us out, pulling us in, reminding us that this could be you.And it works every time. Well, I save the video, curate the grocery list, and set alarms for 5am, promising myself that I’ll follow through. That is, until the next video comes up and I see the perfect craft for a rainy day, or a day-in-the-life of someone in my aspired career path, leading them to fall into the “one day” category of my mind. My phone stores a museum of intentions with no promise of follow-through.
A Few Things I Would Like To Get Around To
Scrapbooking
The idea of having a perfectly imperfect storage of the good, the bad, and the ugly in such a personalized way in a scrapbook is something I have always admired. Ideally, the first scrapbook would turn to ten, and would be a physical depiction of my world that can be passed on, or that I could look back on twenty years from now. I could organize the colours, fonts, and get creative with it. Honestly, it would be a great alternative to endlessly scrolling on social media.
Early, Slow Mornings
Having a slow, early morning in theory sounds great. Waking up before the sun comes out, cooking a nice meal with green juice or a coffee to follow, and really getting to enjoy your time before the day begins sounds lovely. But in reality, early mornings feel impossible. The late-night study sessions, movie nights with roommates, or simply watching way too much Grey’s Anatomy in order to close my eyes on time, tends to lead to a rushed chaotic routine where I’m just happy that I remembered to put my shoes on before leaving the door.
These things are honestly not the biggest commitments one could make; they are small joys in a day to make things more interesting and fulfilling. But simply put, somewhere along the way, the inspired scrolling turns into passive consumption. We stop creating and start curating a huge list of “one days”, and things we could manage in our day get saved for later.
As much as I hate to admit it, the older I get, the more I feel our parents were right. Maybe the screens aren’t going to give us a tummy ache, but they have given us the perfect tool for stalling simple joys and procrastinating on potential new hobbies or interests.
Not every item on our lists may turn out the way that we want them to.Our scrapbook may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the one that we saved, and the snooze button may win half the time, but at least we would have consciously made an effort to cross each item off of our list of “one days”.