Do nothing

There are few people that come into your life that exude wisdom. I have been fortunate to have several cross my path. They are the people you learn from by thought, action and word. They are certainly not perfect, generally humble and often seek knowledge and improvement on a daily basis in their own lives. One of the wisest women I know suggested a very simple, powerful item for my list; do nothing. Today I did nothing.

Doing nothing is not an easy task for me. Often as I attempt to be still and meditate, my to do lists run rampant in my head. As I sit to relax, I am quickly distracted and bounce up to wipe a counter or switch a load of laundry. I have used various tools such as coloring a mandala or listening to music to focus my intentions, but it takes great discipline for me to even begin the formality of such.

This morning met me with ups and downs, happiness and sadness, glee and anger; all before 11:00am and the roller coaster continued into the afternoon. Instead of eating the pizza and mozzarella sticks I cooked to cope with it all, I fed them to the dogs and decided to do nothing. I sat comfortably in the sun in our backyard, our blessing of a back yard. The sun warmed me and the cool breeze was just enough to keep me comfortable. I concentrated on the panting of my senior dog Dutch, stroking his head as he rested on my lap. The sound of the train rocking in the distance, and the birds chirping began to soothe me. Joy surrounded me and I smiled from the jingling of the tags on my spry Zaida’s collar galloping across the yard, the splashing of the ducks in the pond and the buzzing of a fantastically large bumblebee obviously intrigued by my rest. I soaked up the sun and pondered the life I have shared with Dutch. Dutch and I have been together for 12 years. He’s seen me at my best, my worst and my wackiest and he loves me all the same. The harsh reality is that there may soon be a day when Dutch is no longer here, just like that of all others in our lives.

Today I did nothing. Today I enjoyed my moments. Today I am reminded to slow down, stop planning, and enjoy the things and people around me. Excuse me while I go hug my son, and maybe I’ll even greet my husband with a smile when he gets home. If not today, maybe one day soon you too can answer “what did you do today?” with a great big sincere smile and “nothing, simply nothing.”