But, after recieving it for my birthday, I've jumped in wholeheartedly- stealing moments here & there to read. I'm only on page 56 but am finding an abundance of inspiration in this memoir - the author's year long journey to three different countries to find essentially everything she's been looking for.
I am totally absorbed by her mention of "Il bel far niente" - the Italian expression, "the beauty of doing nothing." The ideal of not being just entertained or amused but simply being content in the moment...perhaps finding & holding onto a bit of peace & happiness.
It prompted me to consider how I used to find so much enjoyment in doing "nothing" ...and would like to reclaim a bit of that:
1. Sit. I used to drive over an hour, alone, to sit by myself along side one of my favorite Oregon rivers. I shudder now, thinking of both my brazen riskiness & power.
2. Star Gaze. If you knew me in high school & college you knew this about me; I loved sitting near a friend & gazing into the night sky for hours....
3. Watch My Sleeping Baby. During his naps, late at night, or the rare times he sleeps with me holding him- I can't resist or let go of watching him sleep....the stolen moments
4. Walk. It makes me feel free....and quite literally, grounded.
5. Sew. Not for my shop or for an order. But delighting in the idea that I can put two pieces of fabric together...and make something.
6. Drive. Yet another reason I've at times felt like an old lady in a young(ish!) body. As far back I can remember, I love Sunday drives. Either alone or in the company of a friend...preferably with old time country music playing & sunshine dripping in - absorbing rows in the fields, the dance of the wheat, the bends in the road....
7. Hold my Cat. Nothing beats his purr and the realization (that I have over & over) -this little creature loves me!
8. Think. I love interpreting just how I fit into this world...
There it is-- my list of nothing-ness. Which really feels like something-ness. I'd love to hear how you take hold of and find beauty in the moment.
Now, off to find nothing to do......