Wasting Time

I’ve been wasting a lot of time lately. Not just a minute or two, but hours, and sometimes entire days spent doing whatever I dang well please. Although I’ve had to work hard to resist the guilt that sometimes creeps in during these forays into leisure, laziness, call it what you will, it’s getting easier by the day.

Why is it that wasting time feels shameful rather than sensible? Where in the Book of Humans does it say we must be busy at all times? When did having every moment scheduled become the norm rather than the exception?

The women in my family (and most of my dear friends) share a propensity for busyness. Call it hereditary, birds of a feather, whatever. We all seem to be afflicted with the silly notion that pursuit and purpose trump (not that trump) time spent doing absolutely nothing. I’m here to break the cycle.

I realize I have the luxury of time. I’m retired (kind of). I don’t work outside the home, and my kids are grown. If you are reading this and you aren’t in that season of life, fear not, it will happen, and usually much sooner than you expected.

Here are some suggestions for wasting time courtesy of someone who’s getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself:

Block off one day a week to do nothing
If an entire day is impossible, block off one hour (baby steps)
If necessary, hide in a closet for a minute and take 3 deep breaths in silence
Sit on your deck or porch and watch the sun rise and/or set
Resist the urge to say “Yes” to requests for your time
Watch hummingbirds – they are nature’s way of reminding us to stop every once in a while for sustenance and self-care.