‘Dolce far niente’ part 2

Last week I wrote about ‘dolce far niente’ translated as ‘the sweetness of doing nothing’. This expression is also defined as an attitude, a mindset. The sweetness of doing nothing is about the capability to live your life freely and to enjoy the simple things that life has to offer. I tried it the other day, this ‘dolce far niente’. I took a seat in the garden to enjoy the sun and listen to the signing of the birds. Nothing else, just sitting there enjoying those simple things in life. I closed my eyes to feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I heard 2 children, coming back from school, passing by on their bikes. I also heard the cover of the waste bin closing with a bang, the neighbor busy talking to her husband, another neighbor, who is probably doing some rebuilding, constantly working with an electric saw, the closing of a car door, another neighbor talking on the phone about the tennis match of her son, and, far away somewhere, there are birds, singing…. Even though I physically wasn’t doing anything, my mind was making extra hours to keep track of all these ancillary matters. Anyway, the sweetness of doing nothing is about the mindset. Enjoying those simple things in life. Maybe I was supposed to enjoy those children passing by (even though they drowned the sound of the birds), enjoy the chattering neighbor and enjoy the noise of the electric saw (which all drowned the sound of the birds for which I got in the garden!). Well… I think I missed the purpose and meaning of the mindset in this first attempt. A little bit more practice is required.

Ciao!

Ixis