Learning to do Nothing

Wednesday evening we were sitting on our west balcony after dark.  We were both silent as we consumed the panoramic view of the Toronto skyline and enjoyed the silent wonder of the First Quarter moon and its companion white clouds. It was delightful to observe the distant glimmering lights of the passenger planes flying in and out of Pearson International Airport. There is so much to enjoy when you take the time to do nothing!

The early Greeks had a way of explaining change. 'You could not step twice into the same river'. Today we might say this about change 'The universe is in a constant state of change'. But this we all know from experience because we spend most of our life learning new things and adapting to growth and development. As a child we had to learn how to speak, walk, ride a bicycle, swim and skate. As adults we had to assimilate skills for employment and how to manage our life and affairs. Today, every time we purchase a new device or download Windows #10(!), there is a steep learning curve. Change is all around us and we are busy learning and adapting to our evolving environment. As the saying goes, "We are up to our neck in alligators." I was one of those guys who ate his homemade lunches at his desk!

For years I always looked to the weekends, or the short annual vacations, to relax and recharge my energy. Nevertheless, the first Monday back, the early morning alarm clock ushered me back into my routines and the vacation soon became a lost memory. The puritan ethic never left me alone for long!

Today, after many years of retirement, those deeply grafted patterns still influence my life. Long practiced habits became part of my being in the world. Even today when I wake up each morning my mental-to-do list is waiting attention.  Most of us were taught that doing nothing was a waste of time or that idle hands are the devil's workshop! Remember the grade school teacher saying, "What's wrong, don't you have anything to do?"

Google Pictures

What I now know, in my waning years, is that no one ever taught me how to  properly do nothing! I now realize, that the kind of relaxation I sometimes need, can't be found under a palm tree or drifting on an azure sea, it can only be found within. So I am learning how to do nothing, to let my mind wander and to accept my inner thoughts and feelings. Of course, in this 'do nothing state', my brain is not really inactive, it is completing unconscious tasks and processing experiences. I know there are studies out there that claim those who are constantly busy are the happiest. But one reason some might choose to keep busy is to prevent negative thinking. Just sitting around they would say, is a sweet recipe for misery, like being stuck in traffic on a busy road on your way home from work!

Actually I find taking the time to do nothing gives me an opportunity to get to know myself better. As much as I love being engaged in an active conversation with others, having an opportunity to spend some time doing nothing with myself is a great treat. Heck, I'm not really a bad guy to spend some time with!

Oscar Wild, the Irish playwright and poet once wrote, " To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual."

Oops, the balcony is calling.......

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week.