Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I’ve moved from my Delta rant to thinking about this weekend as found time. Friends and family members thought I was out of town, so my calendar is blank for four days.

Ironically, a gentle book crossed my reading path at the same time Delta was upending my travel plans.  The book is The Art of Doing Nothing: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself. I’ve read it cover to cover and am implementing its suggestions during this unexpected vacation at home.

Actually, there’s nothing at all in the book about doing nothing.  Even if you’re just sitting in a glider on your patio, you can listen to outdoor sounds, watch clouds, and feel your body rock back and forth.  But this is precisely author Veronique Vienne’s point.  There are so many ways to get time for oneself, which equates to doing nothing in our achievement-oriented world.

Vienne offers creative ways to watch a sunset, sip a cocktail, and capture the present without hiding in a spa or flying to Fiji. She comments on the merits of taking a bath, listening to others, perfecting the art of yawning, and learning to live with the inherent trait in humans to procrastinate.

So, if you ever find free time on your hands, I highly recommend this little gem. And if you don’t find time on your hands, then you need it even more.