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The Hidden Importance of Wasting Time
Whatever we have, we think there must be more
One summer many years ago I found my father sitting in the front yard under a lawn umbrella, sipping iced tea and gazing at the blue sky.
“What are you up to, Dad?” I asked.
“I’m wasting time, come join me,” he said.
Dad was in his weekend work pants and tattered tee shirt. He had just mowed the lawn and blades of grass stuck to his pants, shirt, and hair. His face was sunburned, but it held a contented smile.
“Looks like you’ve been productive,” I said.
“Well, sure, I cut the weeds on the hillside and mowed the yard. But I think this is more productive,” he said.
“More productive?” I asked.
“Absolutely. Whenever I slow down and refuse to be busy, my mind daydreams. My thoughts wander. It’s peaceful. Restorative,” Dad said.
“Yeah, but when you’re daydreaming, you’re not getting anything done,” I said.
“Ah contraire, I’m enjoying myself, and Bertrand Russell said, ‘The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.’ Besides, lazy afternoons always help me solve problems. Somehow the relaxation and mental break invite epiphanies, breakthroughs, and solutions to whatever challenges I…
