Day 5 - 216 -- Doing Nothing

When not in the office, I've been asking myself what I should do. It came to me today, that perhaps I should do nothing. An Italian idiom says it all -- Il dolce far niente -- commonly translated as the sweetness of doing nothing. It occurred to me that I used to do this before becoming an academic -- well maybe did it more often and without guilt. I remember lying on the floor of the home office and listening to the full libretto of a new musical from London's West End -- a prize I'd just acquired from traveling parents. I spent the full afternoon in this pursuit -- just becoming one with the music. That hasn't happened for many years now -- that sheer pleasure of being idle.

So, when I told myself that I needed to learn to do nothing, I corrected myself. I need to re-learn to do this. It will take time and effort. It isn't simply being lazy, avoiding less favoured tasks, or getting lost in a mediated world online or onscreen. It is learning to be still, learning to observe, learning to be comfortable ignoring the 'to do' list. I should have a list that says 'do nothing' <smile>. After years of every minute of every day being packed with work-related action, this will not be instantaneous. Perhaps this is what is meant by retirees who say that it just gets better with time. This will be a deeply personal journey to understand the freedom of choosing what will be done each day when there are fewer deadlines to meet. I look forward to re-learning this life skill.

A song lyric fit today's pondering perfectly. It is a demo version of a song written before this artist changed his name. The unplugged aspect of the song is delightful. It reflects the sound of the time -- 1968 and may remind you of other famous artists just getting a toehold in the business. Enjoy!

Sitting, Doing Nothing -- Elton John (Written as Reg Dwight)