Don’t Just Sit There! Do Nothing!

Here is where I sit and do nothing. 

Actually, I do nothing in a lot of places, but this is my favorite--the Disabled Fishing Access on the American River Parkway.  There are a few picnic tables here on a bluff, shade trees and a small pavilion, and a wheelchair ramp down to water level. 

I’m usually here early in the morning and often have the place to myself.  Other old men visit the place, and for some of them it’s a last waypoint. Their passing is noted when a new memorial is etched into the concrete base of a picnic table.  The table I’m sitting at while I scribble a few notes has at its base the name of a man who “found beauty, joy, and solace in this place.”

I rarely see a woman here, just old men.  I guess that by the time we get to be this age the women are glad to get us out of the house for a while.

I should really be posting more, but I get busy, often doing nothing.  It’s okay to do nothing, beneficial even.  In the realm of health and wellness the next big thing could be doing nothing, in the manner of the stress-reducing practice from the Netherlands labeled by the Dutch word niksen.  

Of course, it’s impossible to do absolutely nothing, to flatline the activity curve. We have too many things to do when awake, and when asleep the brain continues to turn and churn, sorting out tasks or mischief for when we wake up.

Therefore, the experts on niksen say that the thing to do is do nothing with a purpose, such as daydreaming.  That I’m good at.

Articles on the internet say a lot about niksen.  Please read them if you need any advice on how to do nothing.  As for me, I'm about to do . . .

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