I walk with Luna some mornings in the Christmas tree farm near my house. Spring today tugged me and insisted I notice: the red buds poking out on the blue spruce, the clouds of champagne yellow pollen erupting from the grass as I walked, the squawk of the pheasant who Luna yearns to find. The world opens itself to me and I am awash in light.
Until my mind butts in — how thisland will soon be built on and the mornings will no longer mine to enjoy, how much better this moment who be if I didn’t feel like an engorged tick lugging along my extra weight, how much closer to Source I would be if I never ate sugar again and did yoga everyday… ya ya ya da.
Later, in yoga (ha!), I am aware of how much I want to be one with God and then I catch myself — then let go now. My mind loves to say "Later, it will be different later" but we all know, there is no later. Only now.
On a more prosaic note, I’m going try out a idea from my business strategist Lena West: to schedule "bovinate" time, also known as veg-out or do nothing or laze time. I love the idea of scheduling it — with a clear beginning and end and no agenda during!
On a completely loving note, go see Akeela and the Bee. Our friend Doug wrote and directed it and my husband was the 2nd unit cinematographer and B-camera– it is such a sweet movie. Take the entire family!
5 responses so far ↓
1 Daria May 4, 2006
Jennifer, I think “bovinate” time (love that term!) is crucial!!! I am so happy you will start to schedule that for yourself. In my seminary, one of the things they are really emphasizing is taking sabbath time (like your “bovinate” time), especially if we don’t think we have time for it. Yes, a regularly scheduled not-doing time. Wayne Muller wrote a great book, called “Sabbath” on this topic. I tend to call them “cat days” in my life.
Blessings on your bovination!
Daria
2 Poppy May 4, 2006
Bovinate time? What an odd concept… Scheduling in time for not-doing… *looks at her calendar* I’m not sure I could manage to not do something… perhaps that’s telling me something. Does time curled up with a good book count as bovinate time? Anyone?
3 Tara May 4, 2006
I’d have to say to Poppy that time curled up with a good book is more like reading time. I’ve really struggled with this doing nothing time myself, because if I ever get time to do nothing what I really want to be doing is reading. The thought of doing nothing seemed so wasteful to me at first, but I’ve been doing it quite religiously on weeknights for a few months now. I do a cat stretch on my bed for about twenty minutes at a time just after putting my daughter down to sleep. If I don’t take my nothing time these days, I really feel muddled. While the experts on doing nothing suggest really doing nothing for a set amount of time, I don’t see any harm in at least using the time to pray. For now my do-nothing time almost feels naughty, because my daughter is asleep and my husband is at work. Nobody knows that I’m selfishly doing nothing. My goal however, is to start taking those nothing moments on the weekends too. Perhaps my husband will be interested in doing nothing with me, as long as it is in separate rooms.
4 claudine hellmuth May 5, 2006
Jennifer
let me know how that works for you. I have trouble doing nothing!
hugs!!!
claudine xxxox
5 Jennifer Louden May 6, 2006
Doing nothing – I realized yesterday it is when I take a nap and that doesn’t really count because I’m out… not conscious. I also wonder if Shavasna (corpose pose at the end of yoga, practiced in different ways, I practice it as almost a yoga nidra, a total letting go) is my gateway to do nothing time? After the physical practice of yoga… Hmm…