“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing everyday.” – Winnie the Pooh
I was busy doing nothing the other day, when I realized; spring is here. The sun is returning. Plants are growing and delivering the promise of blossoms and fruit and long lazy days in the sun.
How often do you have lazy days? Lemonade breezes? Mid-day hammock naps? Yeah, me too. Not often enough.
Spring beauties are blossoming in my yard, birds are singing, the bluebirds are back in Colorado and the spring winds are doing a fine job of blowing around trash that was trapped under the winter snow. The ground looks brown and flattened, but here and there, are the signs of life and spring. Green grasses, spring flowers, daylight savings time, and all of a sudden, the world of nature seems to be getting busy.
In 1966, Simon and Garfunkel took to the airwaves with a message in 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). A message that rings true for me at this time of year, when things want to get busy. You see, we have a suspicious habit of justifying our “Busyness” with a finger pointed at the seasons and time of year.
For example, it’s Fall and the squirrels are busy getting ready for winter – it’s just a busy time of the year we tell ourselves.
Winter – busy with Holidays.
Summer – busy with lawn care, house projects, little league games, vacation, and recovery from vacation.
Spring – busy with spring energy, everything’s busy and growing. It’s just a busy time of year.
There is some truth to the argument, I think. But, if you are “Feeling Busy,” then let yourself be reminded by the wisdom in this line:
“Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.” – Simon and Garfunkel
I’m not advocating laziness or idleness, but we tend to miss much of the richness of life when we become overly consumed with busy bodies and busy minds.
Just try it.
Slow down – even if for just a little while.
And if those two guys, Art and Paul, can get away with talking to a lamppost, then I think we can get away with initiating a conversation with our garden, despite what certain relatives might whisper about our peculiar, nature loving habits.
Take Time to Just Sit and Be with Nature.
Seriously – and lightheartedly.
Take time to slow down and open up to your perceptions of the natural world.
Somehow, the Spring wind and the new grass shoots take on a different quality. A quality that seems to defy descriptions with words. An experience that escapes time and labels.
It’s as if you can feel the green of the grass and the movement of flower blossoms. The world seems to be flowing with life energy. I guess it does seem busy. But busy like a child at play – not busy like my never ending to-do-list.
Ok, well, maybe my relatives are right. Maybe I am a little peculiar in my habits. But I think there is something to it. And I’m not the only one.
Fast forward from 1966 to 1992, and another folk singer, maybe a little more obscure, poetically delivers the same Spring message.
“Love calls like the wild birds-
It’s another day.
A Spring wind blew my list of
Things to do…away.” – Greg Brown
I personally resonate with developing an environmental ethic. So, I’m not telling you to blatantly litter. We don’t want to end up like Arlo Guthrie with an Officer Obie on our tail but, this little exercise might be worth a try. Ready?
Write down your to-do-list. Everything that you think you should do. Everything that you think you should get to.
Double check it for accuracy and completeness. Make sure it’s all there. Analyze it thoroughly with that well-developed left-brain rational mind. And then, let the Spring Wind have its way.
Give yourself the task of “Nothing To Do” for a day.
Or, for at least a little while. It’s good medicine for us. Schedule it in if you have to. Schedule some time for non-structured time.
Timelessness and nothingness reveal the present of “being present” to this beautiful world we call home.
Happy Spring,
Jason@Growing Spaces
PS Don’t worry, if you’re like me, you probably have a backup copy of The List somewhere. Yesterday’s pants pocket, or the “junk drawer” in the kitchen. Just let that one go in the wind. We can pick it up later with the rest of the trash.
2 Comments
The spring wind blew my list to do away- yesterday and now I wrap up cozy in the house as the snow flies, listening to the ducks quack and enjoying nothing (yes I mean that in a positive manner)!
I have been doing this for a week now, recovering from a cold…..but realizing that I really needed just to be simple. I am so grateful to read your blog, as a reminder that our bodies need to re-calibrate and with that the depths of the soul’s direction really can emerge. I feel like spring is a cleansing time, and that my dreams are all about cleansing of late. Really, my favorite quote from Osho was “Sitting silently doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.” It was a call to meditation, and just doing this, while on vacation has led us both to a different level of realization. I feel so fortunate! Thanks, Jason, as always, Puja