Over the many years of being a part of the rat race, I have clearly forgotten what it is like to do nothing. My wife often reminds me to spend time with myself. And I strongly resist the idea. Even during the days that we were under a strict lockdown, I would find many things to do through the day. This idea of being busy seems to appeal to all us urban beings. I find it hard to sit still. If I am totally free, then I choose to become a couch potato — put on the television and start looking for something to watch. Even the days of lockdown would go by so fast. Sitting at home I did not allow my life to slow down. I wanted to call and connect with so many people during those days. But I barely managed to talk to anyone. Countless moments were spent worrying about a future that I had no control over.
However, since a few days I have been exploring the idea of choosing stillness. I am not someone who sleeps a lot. So, normally I leave the bed earlier than my wife. She is blessed with the ability to sleep. I realized that she rarely sees me when she wakes up. A couple of days back I chose to finish my morning rituals (A mug of hot water with powdered organic turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, moringa, two spoons of honey and the juice of one lemon; followed by some fresh fruits. All had alongside reading the newspaper or watching Reuters news) and go back to bed. Even then it wasn’t as if I sat and did nothing. I sat on the bed, opened the iPad and started responding to questions on Quora.
But the moment of truth was when she woke up. She was joyous to see me. I quickly put away the iPad and we just cuddled and chatted. It was not me alone enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing, but it was the both of us enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing.
For me this was an awakening of sorts. I don’t really need to be rushing from one from task to the other. Social media, email and other tasks can be kept in abeyance for periods of time. I must allow myself time to just be. Later that day I made a list of things I must do, to be able to enjoy some time. Below is that list. It might be useful if you also want to consider enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing.
- Switch off the television.
- Every so often have a glass of wine with my meals.
- Be Still as many times as possible in the day.
- Allow my creativity to flow. Writing has become an important part of my day now. You might like painting or singing or listening to music. Whatever your calling. Unblock it.
- Savour that dark chocolate with my post lunch coffee. Making sure I don’t do anything else whilst having that coffee and chocolate. You might like tea and biscuits. Or scones and cream. Enjoy it; Undistracted.
- Disconnect from all social media. Put all my devices away during that alone time. In case you are planning a day off then do inform all the key people, to avoid any panic if they cannot reach you.
Remember you have to let the sweetness of doing nothing arise from your subconscious and allow it to come into your present. Create that stillness and allow it to nourish your soul. Connect with your soul. Talk to yourself.
I intend to create spaces in my day for stillness. To have some conversations with myself. This will be the only way to hear above all the noise of life, to appreciate my goodness and to understand my instinctive self. I am also making a promise to myself to do all the simple tasks mindfully. Take away the distractions. I want to pause and enjoy the aliveness.
Every day does not have to be measured in terms of financial success. Money must not define our life. This modern-day attitude damages our humanness and our health. We have been conditioned to live this way. From the time we are born we are pushed to compete in this unforgiving world. Pushed to create wealth. As if that were our only purpose to live. We need to unlearn a lot. Unlearn that life is hard. Learn that life is easy and that money does grow on trees. Learn about the sweetness of life. Learn to measure our days in terms of the number of times we smiled for no reason, or for how long we watched the grass grow, or how lingering our lunch was, or how much time we spent watching the days sunset. My favourites are to watch the night sky when it is full of stars or listen to the waves whilst sitting at the edge of the ocean.
Another thought comes to my mind, something my wife has been saying for a while now. When I wake up, I always get up and almost immediately get into the day. I must stay in bed for some time. Perhaps go over my dreams; perhaps just talk to my body. Slowly allow my body to come alive. Spend time experiencing the morning, daydream if I feel like it. Think about how beautiful my day ahead is going to be. Spend time looking at my gorgeous wife and appreciate her deep angelic sleep. Gently straighten out the loose strands of hair on her face. Give her a kiss. Give her a hug and sleep a bit more. Truly experience the sweetness of doing nothing for a while every morning.
La Dolce Far Niente!
Written By Mohit Gupta
Week 44, Oct ‘20
