The Power of Nothing

I’ve been accused of being a slacker. That’s okay, though, because I take it as a compliment.

Sometimes the best days are days when we do nothing…at least that’s what we tell ourselves. We also tell ourselves (it seems more times than not) that if we’re not rushing around doing something, then we must be doing nothing.

I disagree.

A rainy day reading, a sunny afternoon in a park, or just relaxing on the couch no matter what the weather is like — that’s all something! What’s nothing to many is the very thing most people doing something cherish more than anything. All that something is the reason why doing nothing feels so good.

I work overtime once in a while at my day job, but in general, I avoid it. It’s not that I’m not a “team player,” and it’s not that I don’t take my work seriously. I just value my time away from work more.

For some poeple, a weekly tennis match, an evening with friends or family, or even just lying on the couch reading is something that can easily be canceled for “work.” There will always be another chance to see your kid’s next baseball game, after all, and if you’re too busy — there’s always next season, right? You can easily reschedule that night out with family or friends, or do it during the weekend in between more work, laundry, cleaning, and errands. And writing…writing is just a long-shot dream, and long-shot dreams should take a backseat to real life.

The funny thing: busy people seem to love stories about characters in a hurry who ultimately throw their hectic schedules aside and devote more time to family and friends. Sadly, these same people often go back to working extra hours and rushing about a week after vowing to make more time for the things that matter most in their lives.

Don’t let others push their view of something on you. Don’t be afraid of doing nothing, because in nothing you have  something very few people doing something have: peace.