When I was a kid, my parents (and often extended family) worried about my tendency to fondness for doing nothing.
In a general sort of sense, I was disinclined to engage in much of anything, and my mother was always concerned that I wasn't "tearing around and getting into things, like little boys are supposed to..." although I have little doubt that if I had actually been tearing around and getting into things she would have complained about that very thing...
... but that's a story for a whole different post.
Stones on the beach...
Whether it is characterized as "laziness" or just a natural ability to be thoroughly anchored in the current moment, I have always felt far more comfortable being than doing.
Which isn't to say that I don't "do" things, however... even as I am doing something, I am highly aware that I will soon come to the end and actually get more enjoyment from "having done" (from the perspective of contemplation) than the doing, itself.
A girlfriend of many many moons ago once asked me — slightly bemused — what I was doing, after she'd been watching me just sitting in a chair outside, watching the surroundings. In one of those rare moments where I find myself actually having an appropriate answer at hand, I replied "I'm immersed in the experience of EXISTENCE."
Surprisingly many people — from my mother to the current day — seem uncomfortable at the thought of "not doing." Somehow, they are bothered by states of non-doing.
I pondered that, this afternoon, as I stepped out the front door with nothing at all on my mind, other than having finished "doing" my eBay listings for a while, and just wanting to not-do for a while.
As I wandered very slowly through our garden, I considered the likely reality that I actually "do" plenty when I enter these non-doing states, but it's just that my sense of doing is quite different from the rather frenetic doing most people associate with the word.
For starters, I was carrying my camera — as I almost always do, when I wander around outside — so I was occasionally photographing things (although I had no plan or goal), the results of which typically end up illustrating the lines I write here.
I find it ironic that we value industriousness so highly, while there is a huge market for workshops, self-help books and seminars that teach people how to unplug, de-stress and relax!
Yes, that's a favorite conundrum of mine; I've written about it a few times before. It continues to baffle me, so I bring it back up for discussion, from time to time.
And so, here were are: It is Independence Day Weekend, here in the US of A.
I always have looked forward to this day as an excuse to not work, not do anything, and basically just sit around and chill the eff out.
My circumstances, however, have often dictated that this weekend be filled with "events and adventures," which — in the end — turn out to be anything but relaxing, and certain no example of "Doing Nothing."
This year, however, I feel like the Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions are working in my favor! And so, I feel quite hopeful that on this July 4th, I might actually get to DO NOTHING!
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful Independence Day Weekend!
How about YOU? What are YOUR plans for the weekend? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 20200617 22:56 PDT
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