I’ve noticed a new tendency: if I get off my phone or computer and consider things to do, one of the more common options has become “nothing.”
I’m very seldom interested in watching shows. That’s not new. I lived from about 1995 to 2006 without a television.
But I always used to listen to music most of the time at least in the background, and of course I’ve always read.
However increasingly an option I choose, especially in the evening and after folks are in bed, is to just sit somewhere with my eyes closed.
It’s not what you might consider purposeful meditation, although sometimes it is. And sometimes it is snoozing.
Whatever it is… I like it.
But it makes me wonder, how often do you sit somewhere and just do nothing?
It seems there’s always something that needs doing, so I seldom sit and do nothing. I do sit and read for a few hours most evenings and the paper each morning but that’s doing something in my mind. Tried to meditate a couple of times, but couldn’t clear my mind from thinking of things that ‘needed’ to be done. When we experienced the power outage last week for a day and two nights, i did very little in the evenings until I discovered a small flashlight allowed me to read for awhile.
I schedule “Glorious Nothing” in my calender once or twice a month. It’s a day where I cannot schedule other things and I plan to do nothing. Sometimes I’ll decide to take a walk or read, but I don’t have to. (I describe it more on Instagram if you are on. https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClG7Rlwg4QV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= )
But, yes, I take time to just be. Sometimes I plug my phone into speakers and put on classical music. Then I just sit and enjoy my cozy living room. It’s the best.