“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body …
“The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration — it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.”
— Tim Kreider, The ‘Busy’ Trap, New York Times30 June 2012
Or put another way: You’ll get more done if you stop being so busy all the time.
Give yourself permission to stop and smell the daisies, to get mesmerised by the colours on a boat.
Schedule it in if you’re too busy for it to just happen.
When I took this photo at the Camus Mor slipway there was a man sitting in a car by himself looking out to sea, sipping on a can of something. I wondered what was in it and I wondered whether he wondered what I was doing looking at the end of a boat. What we were both doing was enjoying the tranquillity of the sea shore.
Does wave watching ever feel idle?
Thank you… this little Monday musing came at a perfect time for me! 🙂
Serendipity 🙂
Yes, a timely reminder for me too — quiet moments of musing and observing invite the creative spark.
Jude
I find it can be so hard to get past that feeling of “should be doing something” … whereas by “doing nothing” I am actually. 🙂
Wave watching calms the mind allowing new thoughts to appear.