sweet doing nothing

by JennyO on February 11, 2011

There are mornings when I sleep in and wake up with the sun high up, with nothing more on my mind than to spend the day the way I want to – in unhurried Web surfing, writing, and reading whatever takes my fancy.

The Italians call it dolce far niente – “pleasant idleness”. Literally, the phrase means “sweet doing nothing”.

“Dolce Far Niente” (1904) by John William Godward, English artist (1861 to 1922). Image at the Art Renewal Center gallery here.

Let’s not begrudge ourselves the time for the kind of idleness that calms and heals; not every moment needs to be filled up with the frantic scurrying that is merely make-work and leads to the stress that is the bane of modern society.

Sometimes we need to recharge, reconnect with ourselves and remember what matters to us most, in an afternoon of dolce far niente. Light a scented candle or burn a stick of incense; curl up in a favorite armchair or on a pile of pillows covered with white eyelet lace, book or Kindle in hand. Read, or allow your thoughts to wander to the happiest moments of your life. Dream for the future, for it can be as sweet as you make it.