Embrace the quiet joy of doing nothing in retirement

In a world demanding constant action, finding stillness is the perfect, complementary antidote to an active retirement

- Robbie Shell

Several times during the past few months, I have found myself engaged in what has never been one of my strong suits—doing absolutely nothing.

The experience of doing nothing crept upon me this summer, surrounded by the stillness and quiet of our family cabin in southwestern Virginia. The hypnotic sound of the Maury River 100 feet away set the stage. Knowing that I wouldn't be disturbed by friends or family while sitting on the back porch long before the sun came up added to the sensation of being free from interruption before the day began.

Parked comfortably there, I wasn’t tempted to do the deep-breathing exercises associated with occupying a tranquil space. That would mean doing something, and I would have lost the spontaneity of doing nothing.

Nor was I planning the morning’s activities or concerned about wasting minutes or hours that could be better spent on a project. I wasn’t worried that time was passing; I had instead the unusual sensation that time was standing still.

It reminded me of the poet Carl Sandburg’s famous line: “The fog comes on little cat feet.”