The underrated luxury of doing nothing

​Outside, the rain is about to stop and blue patches of sky is starting to emerge from the gray clouds. The sound of wheels against wet asphalt signals that the world is up and running this Saturday. I'm sitting on the couch looking a little absent-minded out the window. The taste of hot, juicy roll mixes with cheese and butter. A cup of mint tea accompanies my breakfast. The dishwasher is finished and should have been emptied, I should have put on a washing machine, and the freezer needs to be filled with more bread. The apartment should have been cleaned, and I should have taken a jog. Should, should, should. It's just right now, it feels so good to sit here and do absolutely nothing.

Doing nothing is an underestimated luxury, one rarely indulges in. There is a silent expectation that you have to be so terribly productive all the time. Get things done. Preferably at a furious pace, with a packed calendar. I catch myself doing it. That slightly stressful feeling that creeps up on me. Out of the blue on a Saturday morning while I'm drinking coffee without having a single care in the world. That nagging feeling that I should think of something sensible and productive to do, instead of sitting doing nothing. Feeling guilty for sipping coffee and doing nothing. How wonderful it can be to just sit and think about everything and nothing. Where does it come from? This need to be so incredibly busy and efficient all the time? It has almost become a status symbol. "I'm busy, ergo I'm important and contribute to society" And if you're not busy and efficient all the time, it's almost insinuated that you're just lazy and don't contribute enough. Maybe it's really the opposite?

Avoiding stress has been my doctor's mantra from day one. This has led to an ever-increasing awareness of what I choose to spend energy on, because when a packed calendar no longer is an option, you actually have to choose. A nice side effect of this is that the dinner, the trip, the activity or the experience you do choose automatically gets more value. Because it's not squeezed in between lots of other things. In the year and a half that the pandemic has lasted, the pace has been significantly reduced for most people. Now that society is about to reopen, I I don't feel the need to turn the pace back up again. Instead I think I will refill my teacup and do nothing for a little longer ..