What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are. George Eastman
Today I slept until 10:00 AM.
Well… actually I did the same thing yesterday and mostly likely the day before that. And you know what? There is this guilty little voice that tries to remind me of how lazy I must be to wake up so late in the morning. Although, that voice doesn’t belong to me anymore. I think it is most likely remnants of that old voice that comes from our highly productive, goal-oriented culture.
Post retirement I’ve become a believer in leisure. Well, at least I am attempting to be. For me, leisure is not synonymous with laziness or lethargy. It is more about taking time to do the things you want to do and need to do. Leisure is about pace, not production (or lack of).
Why Rush?
If leisure is about pace, a key barometer for our pace is how much time is spent in a rush to be somewhere or do some thing. Rushing may be one of the damaging attributes in all of life.
A close friend of mine found his anxiety disorder dissipating drastically the more he refused to be in a rush. He gets up earlier (not me!), takes his dog for a walk, eats a leisurely breakfast, reads, meditates, prays, and then goes to work in the afternoon.
So what does the person of leisure do? She or he simply does the important things of life… only without rushing. Currently, I am attempting not to rush and I still get a boatload of things done at the same time. I get a lot done without even trying to get a lot done. Perhaps it’s just becoming a habit.
Check it out. Try a whole week without rushing. It sounds impossible but it really is a state of mind. I know I’ve been trying it for a couple of months now. And I must say that this leisurely, non-rushing style of life suits me just fine.
The Surprisingly Fruitful
Life of Leisure
Photo courtesy of mangpor_2004 at istockphoto
