ON DOING NOTHING
"So, what are your plans for summer?"
I very much dislike this question. Not because I dislike people getting into my business. It's just that when I say, "Nothing," I'm met with this look of pity.
It's true. I can't afford flashy trips. Heck, I can barely afford gas to head to Michigan these days. I'm certainly not heading to an ocean beach locale or to a wilderness backpacking trip or on a cruise or to some resort destination or any of the other myriad of things people are doing this summer.
I am staying at home. The same thing I do every summer.
I used to feel guilty about this. But I don't any more. There's something to be said for doing nothing.
Not that I am doing NOTHING.
Yesterday, I walked 2.4 miles before 9 a.m. and spent the rest of the morning cleaning, straightening, mopping and rearranging my kitchen. The afternoon? Well, I tried to read, but mainly took two naps.
Today, I was out in my front yard before 8 a.m., weeding and cutting down three ugly bushes with a hack saw. I planted some poor, sick-looking plants that I'd forgotten about (how does that happen???), and started on weeding the front walk before the sun came over the front yard. This afternoon? Well, I tried to read, but mainly took two naps.
The point being ... I have spent 230+ days shoving as much as possible into a day, and, frankly, I am exhausted. Thus the naps.
Society today would have us all believe that if we just shove our days full of everything imaginable, we will live a fulfilled life. Only, most people just feel rushed, crabby, angry, and unfulfilled. Sitting and doing nothing ... listening to the birds sing ... watching the sun sink below the trees ... sipping a good wine or sweet tea ... laughing with a friend ... reading a book ... just doing nothing, that's what our minds need.
Rest. Quiet. Peace.
This summer, I plan to rediscover those three things, and, trust me when I tell you, I will have a wilder adventure having done those three things than if I'd planned a trip zip-lining through the Amazon Rain Forest.
I very much dislike this question. Not because I dislike people getting into my business. It's just that when I say, "Nothing," I'm met with this look of pity.
It's true. I can't afford flashy trips. Heck, I can barely afford gas to head to Michigan these days. I'm certainly not heading to an ocean beach locale or to a wilderness backpacking trip or on a cruise or to some resort destination or any of the other myriad of things people are doing this summer.
I am staying at home. The same thing I do every summer.
I used to feel guilty about this. But I don't any more. There's something to be said for doing nothing.
Not that I am doing NOTHING.
Yesterday, I walked 2.4 miles before 9 a.m. and spent the rest of the morning cleaning, straightening, mopping and rearranging my kitchen. The afternoon? Well, I tried to read, but mainly took two naps.
Today, I was out in my front yard before 8 a.m., weeding and cutting down three ugly bushes with a hack saw. I planted some poor, sick-looking plants that I'd forgotten about (how does that happen???), and started on weeding the front walk before the sun came over the front yard. This afternoon? Well, I tried to read, but mainly took two naps.
The point being ... I have spent 230+ days shoving as much as possible into a day, and, frankly, I am exhausted. Thus the naps.
Society today would have us all believe that if we just shove our days full of everything imaginable, we will live a fulfilled life. Only, most people just feel rushed, crabby, angry, and unfulfilled. Sitting and doing nothing ... listening to the birds sing ... watching the sun sink below the trees ... sipping a good wine or sweet tea ... laughing with a friend ... reading a book ... just doing nothing, that's what our minds need.
Rest. Quiet. Peace.
This summer, I plan to rediscover those three things, and, trust me when I tell you, I will have a wilder adventure having done those three things than if I'd planned a trip zip-lining through the Amazon Rain Forest.
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