A Lesson In How To Do Nothing

Or seven ways to kill time:

Reading: Here is a tidbit from the Pew Research Center. The typical adult reads 5 books a year, hum, not a typical Taylor. This number is a median not an average, half read more and half read less. Twelve books is the average, hum, not a Taylor. A relative small number of avid readers skews the average. This includes printed books, ebooks, and audio books for those who drive and listen. Seventy percent of adults read at least one book in the last year. ONE BOOK, I'm in a reading desert and read at least twenty. Women are more likely than men to have read A book during the last year. A book! There were no significant differences by age group for overall reading rates. Lousy research.

Messing about with a Nook: I successfully requested, received, downloaded and have on my Nook my first official book club book, The Boys in the Boat. That was fun. Last months selection was not available as an ebook from my library. This months selection didn't need to be requested, received and downloaded, it only needed downloaded. That was fun.

Thinking: Thinking about how bad your hearing has become and how much longer you will be able to do your job with bad hearing. I told my boss she either needed to fire me - she declined, put me in a separate room - she declined, let me work nights where it is quieter - she declined, put me at the most isolated station - she agreed, get me a better headset - she agreed, get me ear mufflers to muffle out extraneous noise - she agreed. So far so good.

I used the word "balmy" in a sentence the other day and the young guy I was speaking with had no idea what it meant. Now that is something to think about. Then I came home and there it was in the weather report.

Weather; Sometimes I marvel at how variable our weather can be in Western Washington. Thanks to all of our intricate terrain we can have any number of things going on at the same time. It's one of attributes that makes this area so special, but it's also challenging when it comes to forecasting things like snow as we are enjoying the relative balmy 50 degrees and sunshine while it lasts. 

Related to weather via Robert Redford talking about his movie All is Lost, "Nature is dominant, always." Yep, I think I agree with that.

Dining: I'm meeting Christian and Bo Sunday at Sahm Gook Jih Palace for black bean pasta and black bean sauce. I'll get back to you on that one. They assure me I will enjoy the experience.

I have never been hungry nor had a family member go to war. Dad and brothers never had to shoot anyone.

I think we need to organize some kind of commemorative bench or something in honor of Mom at the new improved Greenleaf State Park. A picnic table, a tire swing, a flagpole, a handicap parking spot, anything. I wonder if they will let you erect a personalized wee memento on public grounds. Mom would like that I think.

Traveling: I'm not dusting, cooking, watching a movie, shopping or doing anything else this weekend, my weekend, I'm traveling. Lynn and I are starting our mini-land cruise tomorrow. Two days of driving aimlessly. Aimlessness is a terrific way to do nothing. I highly recommend it.

I love being "old enough" to know better. "Smart enough" not to do it anyway. "Content enough" that I have no need to do it. What ever "it" maybe.

The flip side of being "old enough" is I notice more people dying now a days, even with all the new babies in my world right now, death still seems dominant. I think it is just a by-product of ageing, after all according to Robert Redford nature is dominant.

And the flip side of that, if there can be three flip sides, is some days are just perfect. Days of sons, grandson, sun, dinners, jaunts, travel, reading, thinking, hearing the birds chirp, or in the case of the Pacific Northwest the gulls squawk, hearing the children at play on the field below, hearing the sound of the trains rumbling by in the distance, the ferries fog horn blasting its warning, hearing a friends greeting.

Today will be perfect. Mountains, trees, Possession Sound out the west window, the sun is expected to make an appearance, breakfast with Claire, play date with Connor, movie and popcorn. My vanilla making experiment with the vanilla beans Verla so kindly mailed me will be put off till later although Ian has already purchased the bottom-shelve vodka.

Here's to doing nothing but simply messing about. Like Water Rat from Wind in the Willows, simply messing about with boats, minus the boats. Hey here we are right back to reading.

Make your's an aimless day, or at least a partially aimless day.