New Thing- Try to learn how to be idle
Inspiration: National Do Nothing Day
Time: 30 Minuets
Bottom Line: It's not super great that I need instruction on this.
Reflection: Today is national "Do Nothing Day" but I could not just sit back and do nothing since I did that for two minuets on this day in 2011 (seen here)...and not again since. So, I thought I would use this day as an opportunity to learn a little about the art of doing nothing from the book, How to be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto where Tom Hodgkinson helps people like me learn this important art form as a call to an imaginative life. Here is a part of his argument:
The idea that idleness is good goes against everything we have ever been taught. Industry, hard work, duty, self-sacrifice, toil: surely these are virtues that will lead to success in life? Well, no. In the West, we have become addicted to work. Americans now work the longest hours in the world. And the result is not health, wealth and wisdom, but rather a lot of anxiety, a lot of ill health and a lot of debt.
His first chapter, dedicated to the art of sleeping in, suggests that we all get rid of our alarm clocks and let ourselves wake up calmly thus enabling us to start the day with vision and peace. He feels that our bodies will get us up around the time that we need to. Well, I tried that today and I missed yoga. So, that wasn't great. But I did feel a little more well rested and did have more time in that great "in-between-being-awake-and-dreaming" stage. Maybe chapter 2 will be more yoga friendly.
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