Il Dolce Far Niente

The sweetness of doing nothing, il dolce far niente, is a wonderful Italian expression that perfectly captures the exquisite gift of living in, and fully appreciating, the moment.

Like most Americans, the ability to live in the moment was for me an abstract idea. Proud of my ability to multitask circles around most people, of my job as director of two hospital departments, of never sitting still for a moment, the concept of "the sweet do-nothing" was at once incredibly appealing and completely foreign.

The concept was foreign, that is, until January 2009 when life intervened and I was abruptly "reorganized" out of my job at the hospital where I worked for almost 20 years.
So now, at age 60, here I am living an enforced life of "il dolce far niente." I find myself in the enviable position of having a lot of time on my hands and (initially at least) no idea what to do with it. Although I focus a part of each day doggedly searching for a new job, most of my calendar is so empty it echoes.

But to my surprise, rather than feeling adrift in days without schedules, meetings and agendas, I now know that there is such a richness, such a gift in enjoying each day on its own merit. Rather than controlling my time, I'm learning to allow it to unfold and am almost always pleased with what life presents me.

In this blog, I want to share that richness as I discover the beauty of simple things - while still coming to terms with being unemployed for the first time in my life in an economy that's tanking and where jobs are few and far between. What I hope will evolve through this blog (for you as well as for me) is a true appreciation for another way of living. We'll just have to see how it goes.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Gifts




If I was still employed, I would have no idea what amazing beauty unfolded in my backyard this morning. If I was still employed, this is what I would have missed ... five birds - towhees, mourning doves, sparrows - splashing together in the pond at the base of our waterfall, a young squirrel scampering and scruffling through fallen oak leaves looking for a morsel, brightly animated hummingbirds sipping nectar from the blossoms of the grevillia plant, brash Stellar's jays monopolizing the bird feeder, sun breaking through the fog warming my back as I sweep our patio, the blended perfume of pine, oak, grass and flower.

Have you seen "Joe Versus the Volcano"? It's a little film released in 1990 starring Tom Hanks as Joe, and Meg Ryan as Patricia. One scene in particular resonates with me. In it Joe and Patricia are adrift in an endless ocean, delirious, seemingly without hope of rescue. In his delirium, Joe witnesses a giant luminous moon rising over the horizon and in the face of hopelessness whispers to the universe, "Dear God - whose name I do not know - thank you for my life."

Yes.
Posted by at

1 comment:

Lynn said...

The sweetness of doing nothing. The transition from working like crazy to doing nothing is the hard part. Then you let it all go, and get the gifts of birds in your fountain. I'm so glad you get to enjoy these gifts.

I'm fortunate that I see little Bambis outside my home-office window, though I look for only a flash, then my eyes magnetically pull back to the computer screen. You've reminded me to look a little longer...

July 8, 2009 at 12:03 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)