On Doing Nothing Well: A defense of idle evenings

June Alderwood

There is a particular guilt that settles in around eight in the evening, when the dishes are done and the to-do list still hums in the background. This is a case for letting that hum fade: why idle time is not the same as wasted time, what happens in the mind when it is finally allowed to wander, and how to sit with an empty evening without reaching for a screen to fill it. Gentle, reassuring, and quietly permission-giving.