I did not know what to do with myself tonight after work, and worse, I was starting to look forward to the weekend already ending. It was only eight in the evening on this Friday night, but lethargically felt that if it were Monday already, at least I would know what was needed of me.

My wife and I had finished up around five, eaten something, and before we were done, the southern hemisphere sun was already setting. With neither of us sure what to do next, we played a series of video quizzes like “Which F1 driver is this?” or “Can you guess these 60 movies from 6 decades?” They were over before we felt sure of our next best activities, and there is only so many times you can feel joy in shouting Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom to a film question or delcaring the potion in question as Felix Felicis.

Luckily—more for YouTube’s business objectives than our sanity—the feed supplied us with a quiz from another channel that was just different enough to hold our attention for 15 more minutes out of its 30. Watching eleven random people trying not to get eliminated with music trivia from the 90s can only be so interesting.

I felt helplessly bored and equally unmotivated. I know exactly what I would have been doing ten years prior to today, and that’d be having pre-drinks before drinking. Thankfully, we’re abstaining from all alcohol this year, so I don’t have the easy excuse to crack open a half-dozen beers until I find an outrageously stupid idea to entertain me (I was never much of this person anyway).

Suffice it to say that the mid-winter blues had a strangle hold on our eagerness to do things. Being dark within an hour of work ending tends to make going out less appealing. There were always admin tasks that could occupy my eyes, but I had done enough of those over the past week. Besides, filling in tax returns on a Friday night still doesn’t have quite the same appeal as consuming another 60-minutes of empty trivia. As it turns out, I would rather rot hours of my best years away than seeking distraction through accounting.

The hands of clock continued to swing by, and the voice in my head continued to grow restless. No matter how bored I may be, I’ve been adamantly against wishing for the future to hurry up and get here because that’s like wishing to be old before I am ready. We only have this one precious life, and I don’t want it to slip by when I’m not attentively watching.

So, I chose to do the one thing I figured I could do when I knew I desparately needed to do something. I threw on a jacket and went want walking.

It was brisk in temperature and my speed, but the distance covered kept expanding; winding in an out of different side streets and connecting pathways. As the only destination in mind was eventually getting back home, I could go anywhere that my feet felt like taking me. Onwards I went, deep into the dark of the evening.

Doing something—anything—when you’re not sure of what to be doing has real benefits simply beyond moving, so lace up your shoes and start going. Not only did I get in an hour of light exercise and some time under the star, going for the walk triggered a suite of follow-on activities. Without going on this outdoor adventure, I wouldn’t be writing about it or having something worth publishing. By me leaving the house, she felt inspired to trade TV for reading. And I was able to listen to two podcasts I particularly enjoyed, before hoping in the shower at home to feel clean rather than sweaty.

When in doubt of what’s else you could do, the best answer is often to start walking. Now I understand why Forrest Gump just felt like running.