The importance of empty time

Yesterday we talked about signs that we need to literally stop and be still.

I took out my to-do list this morning and really looked at it.  I imagined it was 50 years from now and tried to decide which of the items on the list I was glad I took care of and which ones I really couldn’t care less about.  I want my best life memories to be joyful and satisfying to remember.  I imagined that I was looking back on a life of meaningful connections with people I care about as well as feelings of personal fulfillment.  Some things on my list DO somehow relate to that.  Most do not.

So this article I read by Martha Beck… she says that the restorative power that empty time will provide will become self-evident.  It will become a high priority “for the same reason you make breathing a high priority: it keeps you alive.  The little dribs and drabs of sustenance you get during your “frittering” activities are nothing compared to the crisp, clean oxygen of really empty time. I give my daily minutes of empty time an even higher priority than sleep, because I know I need them more.  I can feel this.  You will, too.”

This week, I am following Martha’s advice to give myself this brief period of attention for a few minutes every day and to connect with my “thoughts and feelings, my passion and purpose.”

“Activity balanced with rest: it’s the way all of nature works, a beautiful reminder that everything is in ebb and flow. Our own bodies follow natural patterns, recuperating every night and preparing for the next day’s action. With music as well, the structure imposed by notes inherently depends on the unstructured space supporting it.   As a culture, though, we give more importance to creating notes and relatively little to the space between them. Sure, our rational minds want to ensure progress — but our intuitive minds need space for the emergent, unknown and unplanned to arise.” (Daily Good.org article by Viral Mehta)

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to make the most of “empty time.”  See you then!