Do you ever just do nothing?

@ geeljay nice to have you around Gordon, hope your coping with things ?

Since the pandemic started I've become quite lazy and often do nothing for a week at a time. OH does the cooking and dishes.
Then I look around the house and start cleaning before it gets out of control. Spent too many years working shifts of up to 60hrs a week while taking in students and doing an online college course at the same time.
Time to relax more now I'm retired

I love to get everything over and done with in the morning sometimes a casserole or spag bol for supper. Then after lunch I watch 1 pm news and relax with a book or as the weather is bad a static hobby.
DH is always looking for a job to do. I retired some years before him and got all the bustling around done. The last two days I have spent a lot of time on Facetime with a DD and a friend. If the sun is shining but bitterly cold I love just looking at the garden and the birds.

I too do all my chores in the morning and then the days is mine. I refuse to feel guilty for just “being”.

We're busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
We're busy goin' nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time

I have to watch the river
To see that it doesn't stop
And stick around the rosebuds
So they'll know when to pop
And keep the crickets cheerful
They're really a solemn bunch
Hustle, bustle
And only an hour for lunch

La-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

We're busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
We're busy goin' nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time

I have to wake the Sun up
He's liable to sleep all day
And then inspect the rainbows
So they'll be bright and gay
I must rehearse the songbirds
To see that they sing in key
Hustle, bustle
And never a moment free

We're busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
We're busy going nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time

I have to meet a turtle
I'm teachin' him how to swim
Then I have to shine the dewdrops
You know they're looking rather dim
I told my friend, the robin
I'd buy him a brand new vest
Hustle, bustle
We never do have
We never do have
We never do, never do
Never do, never do, never do have the time
Never do have the time

Welcome Gordon Geejay

Just to add I often do nothing.

Yes I often do nothing - reading, looking at things on my ipad, watching TV, sleeping etc. I do suffer with fibromyalgia so I'm not always up to masses of activity but I do try to swim at least 3 times a week. My two closest friends are real workaholics, never happy unless they're on their feet, busy . I often wonder just exactly what they're doing as both are retired and the one has rarely left the house since the advent of covid. DH is a bit similar, he's always got some project on the go. DMIL, long gone now, said when I was first married to always take time out to have a breather & I've always thought of that - not that she ever did, she was always doing something but I guess her main love, gardening, would count as nothing.

When I first gave up work, I really struggled with doing nothing but now I've got it down to a fine art and don't feel guilty anymore. We now don't get up very early, too many early starts with commuting and long days worked in the past, then do some jobs and try to relax in the afternoons. It does take some getting used to though.

Sleeping in the day or gazing into the fish pond. Highly recommend.

I love doing nothing. Which means reading, watching TV, surfing the internet. Or even having an afternoon nap joined by the dog.

Kryptonite

Sleeping in the day or gazing into the fish pond. Highly recommend.

Do be careful. ?

I was gazing into a fish pond when I was about 6.
The next thing I knew I was in with the fishes.
Luckily I managed to clamber out.

kircubbin2000

'Do you ever just do nothing?' Yes, frequently!

I give myself 'permission' to do nothing much in January/February - as it's a low point in the year for me (and many others). I can just 'be' rather than 'do'. I'll only engage with things I enjoy, everything else can wait.

I feel I'm often fighting the 'Make yourself useful!' still ringing in my ears from childhood. Why should I?

Yes do feel really guilty doing nothing and suppose I should be doing some craft or hobby - since grandkids have moved house suddenly have a lot of free time now not caring. Very difficult to think of things I would enjoy having spent so long being busy for everyone.

I very rarely do nothing. Usually I am reading, writing, messing about online, knitting or watching TV when I'm not doing something more constructive. I don't think I could just sit and stare into space if I tried. Even watching TV I have to have knitting to occupy my hands, or I feel twitchy and can't concentrate.

I don't feel guilty if I'm not 'achieving' anything though. Life's too short for that.

I reward myself with doing nothing days and I love it. I feel very privileged that I have this choice. It doesn’t suit everyone, of course. I have a friend who works full time in his 70s and has no intention of stopping.

Hello Gordon!

Golly, it's lovely to hear from others who can benefit from doing nothing. Right now I am doing nothing because I am recovering from surgery for a broken ankle. Except I'm not doing nothing. I am the oldest generation now and I have to be my own advocate for care and rehab and medicine, etc. My husband had back surgery the day before my ankle surgery. He is at home recovering. We've been married 45 years and don't like to be apart. He's rather pining. I'm doing the banking, thinking ahead about bills, checking with children, keeping my doctor's outside of the rehab center informed of my progress, returning emails and calls. So though I am immobile a lot of the time, I am not doing nothing. I think a lot of time is worthily spent daydreaming, remembering, looking at your mother's pretty things and remembering where she got them and what they meant to her, etc. Good on you all! If you're praying person, please send prayers for me and my husband. Thank you.

Welcome Gordon. Please post soon.

CarlyD7

I think a lot of people won't admit to regularly putting up their feet as (a) from their childhood they were taught that this was lazy (so they still retain some feelings of guilt over it) and/or (b) they don't want friends to think their lives are empty! BUT I saw my mother never rest (even when she was ill she fretted over things not getting washed/tidied, etc) and she died too early. I've seen my best friend burn out and is now in a wheelchair (and still raging because "I can't simply do nothing") - as though resting your body to enable it to relax is "nothing". My favourite poem is WH Davies' poem "Leisure" - says it all really:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Lovely, Carly.
I intend to take that time this year.

Theoddbird

We're busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
We're busy goin' nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time

I have to watch the river
To see that it doesn't stop
And stick around the rosebuds
So they'll know when to pop
And keep the crickets cheerful
They're really a solemn bunch
Hustle, bustle
And only an hour for lunch

La-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

We're busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
We're busy goin' nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time

I have to wake the Sun up
He's liable to sleep all day
And then inspect the rainbows
So they'll be bright and gay
I must rehearse the songbirds
To see that they sing in key
Hustle, bustle
And never a moment free

We're busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
We're busy going nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
We'd like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time

I have to meet a turtle
I'm teachin' him how to swim
Then I have to shine the dewdrops
You know they're looking rather dim
I told my friend, the robin
I'd buy him a brand new vest
Hustle, bustle
We never do have
We never do have
We never do, never do
Never do, never do, never do have the time
Never do have the time

Aww thanks Theoddbird. I couldn't help but sing -a- long with that as I was reading it.

Welcome Gordon.
In answer to the question I’ve just reduced my days at work and most of the day I’m now off I do nothing. I have a stressful job and a weekend to do stuff so I mainly do nothing with my dog.

I’ve had that ‘busy doing nothing’ song on the brain for a few days - it’s used in some ad on Classic FM - I couldn’t tell you what the ad is for, though!
Which, according to the theory, defeats the object of the ad.

My DH is always busying about- a trait he inherited from his mother. It drives me mad, so I often place myself ostentatiously in full view with a cup of tea.

He is now slowly getting round to the "doing nothing" idea however. For example he is now reading the paper, which he has started to do, extending the breakfast period well into the late morning.

I wish he would at least clean his teeth so I can get on and do the bathroom.

Honest? About 90% of my time since pandemic started is spent doing-nothing. I've only been out to shop/supermarket, or short walk occasionally, but no holidays no seeing family , what there's left of it, no social outings either. DH goes to pub most Tuesday and Thursday with band colleagues after practice And I do choir for 1.5 hours on Thursday but generally I sit browsing web. Or just messing about. Life is seeming less and less worth the effort nowadays.