I really like this:
"I've long since stopped feeling guilty about taking being time; it's something we all need for our spiritual health, and often we don't take enough of it." (2)
It reminds me of Christopher Robin's conversation with Winnie the Pooh at the end of House at Pooh Corner:
"What I like doing best is Nothing."
"How do you do Nothing?" asked Pooh, after he had wondered for a long time.
"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it 'What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?' and you say 'Oh, nothing,' and then you go and do it."
"Oh, I see," said Pooh.
"This is a nothing sort of thing that we're doing now."
"Oh, I see," said Pooh again.
"It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
Just as Christopher Robin later bemoans the fact that he won't be able to do Nothing nearly so much anymore because of the grown-up expectations about to be placed upon him, L'Engle mourns the frequent loss of a sense of childlike joy and wonder. Pooh is a master of doing Nothing, yet he is also the most artistic of the inhabitants of the Hundred-Acre Wood. His "poohetry" stems from his willingness to quietly go along, enjoying the world around him. He doesn't stress out about being productive; it's an organic process.
I sometimes find it hard to take the time to "do Nothing"; I always seem to feel the pressure of time even when I don't have any particular deadlines - one bother that plush Pooh is immune to! But doing Nothing is a very worthwhile exercise, especially if it's of the outdoor variety on a beautiful day like today. Of course, it never hurts to have a pencil and notepad in hand just in case Nothing yields Something...
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4 comments:
I love both the Madeleine quote and the Milne passage -- they work together so well! Madeleine does a lot with "being" in all her books really, but the one where she talks about it most is probably *Circle of Quiet.* I love how she weaves her favorite themes into so many different books (and genres of books) though.
Like you, I tend to feel pressured about productivity. It's been striking me lately that I get hampered by that in my creative process. We're so in need of more income right now that I find myself wracking my brains for any writing I can do that pays something. That can be OK (and even necessary) but I don't want to lose the joy of just creating...the sheer pleasure of creating.
I'd never stopped to think about Pooh's creativity and how it stems from his relaxed attentiveness. I think I need to spend more time hearing things I can't hear. :-)
Me too! And seeing things I can't see... I just keep getting so bogged down with things, and I have a tendency to get impatient with myself if I want to create something and it's just not coming...
I also like her point about how we should never be bored, and I'm trying to keep that in mind on days when I've gone for four hours without a single sale...
Erin, you have my admiration and my empathy. I've had jobs/days like that and I honestly feel like they sap my energy more than more mentally taxing days...or at least in a different way.
My whole day today felt like a big slog through a bog. (And now I'm writing on a blog...)
Hehe, I hope that the fog has lifted!
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