What do you do when you do nothing?

My friend at work and I were chatting on Friday about how it had felt like a long week. We talked about our plans for the weekend, and wanting to just do nothing. This prompted my friend to ask me what I did when I did nothing. It was obvious to ask that question but at the same time, I was caught a little bit off guard and didn’t really know what to say.

Those sorts of simple questions always seem to get at your most fundamental character. Who you are at your core, maybe.

So, let me define, “doing nothing.” Well, first let me define, “doing something.”

“Doing something” is your life calling. Maybe it’s empowering youth who never got the opportunities you did, maybe it’s communicating worldly truths through poetry, maybe it’s making the world aware of vicious racism. Whatever “doing something” is for you, it’s active, it takes effort, and when done right, it’s a real, real burden. Whatever you’re doing is definitely worthwhile, but at the same time it’s important to set personal boundaries so you can stay fresh for whenever you’re “doing something.”

A group of old ladies that run a missionary organization in India brings in fiery youth to help them on various service projects. Everyday at 3:00 PM sharp the ladies would drop whatever they were doing to drink tea and have biscuits. The youth would sometimes get upset, asking why they didn’t work through the daylight or save the precious money for the people of India rather than biscuits. The ladies would reply:

“When you leave, we will still be here, and we cannot make it tomorrow if we do not drink tea.”

I think that’s what “doing nothing” is about, it’s what you do to unwind from “doing something” and make sure you can stick it for the long haul. It’s something you enjoy, but something best enjoyed in small doses. It probably wouldn’t be fun to sit around and drink tea for ten hours a day. It’s something where you don’t feel like you’re working towards any sort of goal, but at the same time something that makes you feel completely fulfilled by just doing it.

I can imagine this sort of unwinding taking many different forms for different people. For my friend at work it’s just wearing her pajamas, lazing around on her couch with a good cup of tea and a novel. I’m not exactly sure what this is for me, but it’s some combination of being by myself, listening to good music, eating unhealthy snacks, drinking hot tea, reading something completely unrelated to my goals, and watching a heart-warming romantic comedy. Regardless of what it means to “do nothing,” it definitely seems like an important component of a well-balanced life.

from ken

Are you trying to change your life? I'd love to hear about it! ken.e.noguchi@gmail.com

photo by ryantron