The fine art of doing nothing

The Italians call it “il dolce far niente”, the sweet do-nothing, and they have perfected it down to a fine art. Not hard to get the hang of it when you can sip wine on a terrace in an ancient Tuscan town and gaze out over the valley all afternoon. It’s a little trickier over here, where we pride ourselves on how busy we are. But free time is one of the most precious gifts of retirement, and I think it’s worth learning how to enjoy the extravagance of wasting some of it. First, we have to tussle with some notions that our culture has ingrained in us: that we have to be useful, that we have to achieve goals, that time is money. If we’re tied to our gadgets, we have to set them aside for a while. We have to eliminate all distractions, everything that fills up our minds, including reading and listening to music. But no meditation either; we’re not trying to empty our minds. We’re going to let our minds drift.

I’m new at this myself, so I’m trying out some short experiences first. Once I get comfortable with those, I’m going to try longer ones. Here are some ideas:

• Lie down outside somewhere. I dare you. Watch the clouds roll by.
• If you have a dog, go to the park and play together. Roll around in the grass.
• Find a bench. It’s especially fun to be sitting still when there’s a lot going on around you. Try the boardwalk along the Beach; a bus stop; Philosopher’s Walk; a local park where kids are playing baseball or skateboarding or romping through a splashpad.
• Eat chocolate. It has to be good chocolate, of course. No gobbling. If you need lessons in savouring chocolate, you can get them here.
• It’s hard to believe, but some people don’t like chocolate. So eat an orange; they’re delicious too. Don’t like to get your hands sticky? Eat it in the shower.
• Take an afternoon nap. It doesn’t have to be long; 20 or 30 minutes will do. You’ll feel like a new person. Call it a siesta.
• Try some purposeless walking.
• Go to a cafe with an outdoor patio. Order a cold drink or a coffee. See how long you can make it last.
• Take a bath. Add Epsom salts or bath oil or bubbles. Rubber ducky optional.
• Take a long bus or streetcar or subway ride. Pick a route you don’t normally take. The streetcar routes are especially colourful, but you can have a good time just watching the people around you. Don’t stare.