On Doing Nothing...There is a Spanish proverb that speaks to my soul. I’m not Spanish. Rather, I am “English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and Native American/Cherokee." In other words, I am a garden-variety American. Despite that, I am seduced by this very Spanish sentiment: "How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward." Ah, the lure of the hammock in the golden afternoon! Oh, for a life that includes a daily siesta!
When my life gets especially busy, running from one activity to the next, I think of that proverb, and yearn wistfully for the idyllic lifestyle many of us imagine Europeans to live. Surely their children play soccer, or more accurately, football. Surely there are ballet lessons, martial arts, or music instruction. But one imagines a long leisurely lunch, quiet conversation with a loved-one, or blissful solitude. One daydreams of pristine linens and silky duvets, a Mediterranean breeze through an open window, and the sweet escape of an afternoon nap.
This longing for long hours of “nothing to do” is a strange sentiment coming from one who has yet to master the art of the Sunday afternoon nap. I seem to wake groggy and impatient, and ready for my other 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Or worse, I lie awake the entire time, unable to doze at all, thinking of all the many things around here that are half-done, if not completely undone by
the hands of a little mischief-maker. Perhaps, what I am really yearning for is the ability to relax and to accept that I will never keep everything in our home spotless and perfect.Perhaps I am wishing I really was the type to embody that Spanish proverb. In the meantime, my cats have got it all figured out. If I live with them long enough, maybe a little bit of their langour and grace will rub off on me.
photos by Aisling, Autumn 2006
5 comments:
*grins* Oh, Kaa-san. The kitty-babies look comfy. I think I quite envy them. I have the Ancient Art of Sleeping in Class down to a science.
...*examines that sentence for a moment, then shakes it off*
Right. I sleep every other half hour until noon. And the teachers don't care, because all the students have done it, or make a daily habit of it.
...I'm going to miss naptime... I keep thinking to myself, "Lunch hoour of my senior year shall find me snoring in the library..." But maybe not. I'll probably try to catch up on my sleep the two months before school starts. Lol. Only, I'll probably be too busy, huh...? Darn. XD
Much love! Wish you luck in Mastering the Napping Technique that's been passed down from Cat Ninja to Cat Ninja since the Dawn of Time.
I guess I should be worried about that sleeping in class thing. LOL! Hmmm... Are you saying you are a Cat Ninja? What happened to me? It skips a generation?
You simply haven't tapped as far into your ancestral powers yet, Kaa-san. You were too busy running around in other-worldly mists as a child to bother becoming a Cat Anbu (ask Haiku about Anbu, she'll explain -- or she SHOULD be able to!), and, also, you're not nearly as paranoid as me. Yes, I think I am paranoid...I mean, what kind of sugar is YELLOW!? Also, the packaging says Eu Reforme, or Euroforme, and I don't know what that is...so I'm not putting it in any beverage of mine until I know it's actually edible. Nainai is senile, after all...who knows what sorts of things she may feel inclined to feed me...?
....
Right.
Much love!
Are Cat Ninja's supposed to be paranoid? You've given me a little too much to process before I've even finished my first cup of morning coffee. *grin* I think I'll stick to my other-worldly mists! At least there is the remote possibility of time travel that way!
Post a Comment