Il Bel Far Niente

Il Bel Far Niente

In Italian: The Beauty of Doing Nothing

In My Life: Nearly Impossible

In Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the Italian culture's ability to be able to truly enjoy the art of doing nothing. But in our culture...not so much. Email, Texting, Facebook, Twitter, Television. Oh wait, gotta do the laundry, dishes need to be done. We are so full of distractions that we aren't able to just turn off and do nothing.

I have to say, I am probably first in line when it comes to these distractions taking over every ounce of what is left of my time after work and school.

And school...oh man school. With my last fall semester about to start on Monday, I feel myself teetering between excitement and full blown panic attacks. I love school, and I love learning, but the fear of being able to keep up with school as well as everything else in my life is all consuming. I feel like I am about to take a huge breath, jump into a lake, and hold my breath under water for the next 10 months.

And that is scary. Really scary. I'm not a fan of being underwater in the first place...so comparing it to that feeling...well you get the point.

Anyway, I am proposing to make a promise to myself that I WILL come up for air sometimes. Not that I will try, not that I will do my best, but that I WILL give myself some breaks this year. Considering that my weekends seem to somehow already be pretty much booked through November, this will prove somewhat difficult. But, I need to do it. I need to carve out a couple of hours each week to practice Il Bel Far Niente.

Wish me luck?