Doing Nothing

One day, Carlene and I were sitting in her outdoor living room doing nothing.  We were watching the play of squirrels and birds pecking around in the grass, chasing each other.  We were admiring the brilliant colors of her lilies and hydrangeas and hyacinths and the different kinds of trees in her yard.

"If this is wasting time, I waste a lot of time doing this," she said.

I've noticed that we both enjoy sitting more and more.  Just sitting.  I usually have a camera in my hand and she often has a cup of coffee in hers.

Last night I heard a podcast on THINK (one of NPR's best podcasts) by a physicist who talked about the power of doing nothing in an age of information overload.  It made me realize that when I was younger, I was so busy caring for children and cooking and working that I didn't even notice the trees and the birds around me.  I didn't know one flower from another!

Now the beauty of the natural world--clouds and plants and water--captivate my attention like never before.  I would like to dedicate more time to just sit and look and reduce extraneous business.  This is one of the gifts of aging--time to just be and observe.

Taking kids to lessons and classes and games, organizing busy work schedules--these are the business of the young.

As Carlene said, "We've earned this freedom, so let's enjoy every minute of it."

Here's Alan Lightman talking about the power of wasting time:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/478859728/think