The day I did nothing

Well, there is a Bertrand Russell book called "The importance of being Idle" or something like that which I once saw in a friend's room and said to myself... "hmm, true...". Honestly, the thought had not occurred to me in over 18 years of my ordinary life. Hence, from my perspective it was a rather profound and original thought. I never read the book or considered reading it but today I pay my homage to that thought. I had one hell of a day doing nothing. Again, one has to qualify a nothing with something :D.

I started the day in my usual way - woke up early, got ready, had breakfast and was all set to go for a long run and then for a swim (ambitious beginnings). Instead, I relaxed, chatted, watched tons of southpark, ate leftovers from last night, dozed for hours in a state of sweet bliss. It was a beautiful day which usually brings out the best in me. So around 4 in the evening, when there wa no more sleeping to done or southpark to be watched, I ventured out of the apartment. I ended up at the Bebe lake and walked around the lake, felt the wind on my face and the sun warm up my body. Sat beside the lake watching ducks and a most stunning shade of blue sky reflecting at me from the lake. I was there for a while, contemplating, smiling to my self like a crazy hippie(Cartman talking) and allowing everything to disentangle and breathe inside me. It was like the fresh flouroscent green shoots on bare branches during bombay monsoons. Nothing beats that feeling (perhaps the bouganvillias in full bloom, especially in April, embellishing the pale brown earth with pretty pink, come close). For the first time, I could breathe Ithaca air and feel one with it. I guess I had found a little bit of Bombay in Ithaca or discovered a little bit of Ithaca within me. Another profound thought which I cannot describe in words?

When we were younger we learnt something new almost every day. In school, we were learning quadratic equations and statistics and the biology of the human body. The world was a mystery and everyday was a little adventure. We built friendships and saw relationships in our families change and learnt something about the dynamics of how people interact. And then suddenly one day the learning stopped. We had developed "our understanding" of the world and that was it. We were required to know what we believed, our opinion on everything and we did. We joined salsa classes and learnt french during vacations but our growth had plateaued.

Growing up is such a disappointment at times. The world is full of opinions and no mysteries. We all know the world from our perspective and that is it. However, I believe I digressed.

Yes, I learnt something today by just being quiet, sitting on a rock beside the lake. I did nothing. I grew a little.