“Dolce Far Niente”

I have always loved this expression.
I know its not Hindi, its not even Sanskrit, no, it’s latin for “the sweetness of doing nothing” .... of which i am learning the art from my friends in India.
From this practice... food comes to taste sweeter, sun surely feels warmer on the skin, life just gets better... and better... and better.
Even the Europeans have it over us, this art of doing nothing.
In Canada or the U.S. we would call it lazy (they call it lazy here too actually, when things need to be done, things do need to be done, regardless, not doing them means you are being lazy).
I sit and try to think what it is like in Canada, as a generalization. Why we are so darn industrious all the time, and why is that such a value in North America? We don’t even think about it when we are there, it is just a fact we take for granted. No one wants to be thought of as lazy, and there’re things to be done always.... right? And once we “do” all those things, it is our reward and our right to sit on the couch and watch our big screen t.v. , yet rarely do we allow ourselves the luxury throughout the day to just sit in the sun, gaze off into the hills and daydream. We have forgotten the art of that. Remember it when you were a kid? Doing that? I do, and it was delicious, and it is delicious still.
I always use the squirrel gathering nuts metaphor for living in Canada, we are industrious, because if we aren’t, we will freeze or starve to death, literally. You have to have some sort of fire lit under your backside to avoid these ends in North America. But in India, or Mexico, or Costa Rica, there really is a minimum that needs to be done to keep from starving (catch a fish, pick a mango), and you’ll never freeze to death (except for maybe in Mexico city in January, i hear it gets pretty chilly there then).
All of this is occurring to me now because as i sit here, wondering what to DO with myself in this window of 3 hours that i have between things.... I just finished a most lovely lunch shared with my Bengali family and i’m stuffed to the gills. Boy that mama can cook! I always leave their house satisfied. I have a yoga class at 6, and i am thinking at this point, full as i am, i either gotta pass out on my bed and sleep, or i gotta go DO something. Do something, do something, do something. And then i think: why? Why do i gotta go DO something all the time? Why don’t i just sit, in the sun, or sit and listen to some music, or write, or just chill out here for a moment in my room and reLAX? Why don’t i? Such an excellent question. So i do. Wishing for everyone: Dolce far niente.