Doing Nothing

In this episode (178) – Doing Nothing . . .

I'm lost - it's our first morning, Monday, October 24, 2022, at Curry Village in Yosemite National Park. For those who follow my blog, you know I'm an early riser; yes, up at 4:30 daily, with no alarm clock, wide awake and ready to start the day (five a.m. is my idea of sleeping in). However, let's do a reality check, an essential part of vacation is Lori's time to sleep in, and rightfully so.

Sitting on the porch of the community building at Camp Curry with Nothing but my thoughts as if a bolt of lightning struck me; most people in the twenty-first century are allergic to silence and a lack of something to do. It's as if they're afraid of their thoughts.

Don't believe me? Just look around; people on their phones, working on a project, watching TV, playing games, surfing the Internet, reading a book, preparing a meal, cleaning the house, flossing their teeth, you get the idea. They are always doing. I'm as guilty as you.

But what if you're up early and everyone is sleeping throughout the entire camp, no services open, no place to sit at a desk, no pad or pencil to write with, and by God, it's cold 32 degrees! Your phone is charging back at the cabin, pitch darkness, trees towering around you. The only piece of tech you have is your headlamp. And, of course, warm clothes, hiking boots, a hat, and gloves.

What to do?

My first instinct, I'll get in a brisk morning walk. There are path lights to the restrooms within the confines of Curry Village, but once you get past the parking lot - Darkness. Look up to see the stars, but unlike wilderness camping, in the high Sierras, you are engulfed by trees. It's quiet; you hear the rhythm of your footfalls, the rustling of the leaves, smell the sweet pines, the vapors from your breathing form clouds in front of you, and you can see just a few feet, Nothing stirring. So, after about 30 minutes of stumbling around the trails in the dark, I returned to the community building and took up rocking on the porch.

Once seated, my first thought was, huh; coffee would be good. If we were camping, I would have lit the Wisperlite stove, boiled some water from the lake, and warmed myself with a cup of coffee. The coffee shop across the way would not open for another 45 minutes, 6:30 a.m.? The community building and breakfast pavilion 7:00 a.m. So, content to rock on the porch, my thoughts started organizing this week's podcast. What was I thinking, no laptop, no WiFi, no connection?

Then, finally, I accepted that being on vacation sometimes means letting go and doing Nothing. Let the years of programmed conditioning of your work schedule, activity schedule, exercise schedule, and daily routines slip away for a time. All those activities will catch up to you all too soon.

My listening friends, don't panic; it's ok - relax, enjoy the silence, and permit yourself to occasionally Do Nothing.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode.

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