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The Sweetness of Doing Nothing: Live Life the Italian Way with Dolce Far Niente

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Have a great week and weekend full of rest with the philosophy of “dolce far niente.” Don’t forget to take sips from a big glass of cold lemonade! This Latin proverb, which translates to 'the sweetness of doing nothing,' has been embraced by many cultures throughout history as a reminder to slow down and savour the simple pleasures of life. It reminds us that sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is simply be still, and appreciate the beauty of the world around us. Take a nap. When I go on vacation now, the thing I look forward to most is family naps. Really: bliss. Niksen is not a synonym for being lazy and Il Dolce far Niente is not an idiom that promotes laziness. What they both point toward is the pleasure of idleness. This mode of thinking is revolutionary in its simplicity. Many of us search for relaxation by travelling to exotic locations, drinking to oblivion, or blotting out the noise of modern life with whatever our favoured crutch might be. But what if we were to let the chaos envelop us or sank into it like a hot bath? What if, instead of saving up our “fun quota” for an annual escape, we spread it over the minutes, hours, and days throughout the year and gave “enjoying life” a go? The Italians seem to. Other significant words include penichella, similar to the Spanish siesta; meriggiare, a poetic term that means “to pass the hottest hours of the day in the shade”; and abbiocco, a noun used to describe the sleepy feeling you get after a big meal. Drowsiness is such an art form in Italy that the phenomenon of doing nothing has been enshrined in the lexicon.

Clouds slip in the sky, sometimes forming funny shapes to make children delighted or to animate their imagination, but in fact simply aiming to water the world. Through the metaphor of an active verb, I wish to indicate that the mood I am trying to discuss is not one of inertia, listless vacancy or idle quietism of the soul; nor is it a flight from harassed purposiveness and pragmatic action. Lying fallow is a transitional state of experience, a mode of being that is alerted quietude and receptive wakeful lambent consciousness.In fact, there’s been extensive research on how daydreaming and mind-wandering—the inevitable effects of idleness—makes us more creative, better problem-solvers, and more imaginative with new ideas.

What I was experiencing then and there is what the Dutch call Niksen, “the practice of doing nothing as a means of relieving stress; idle activity, as staring into the trees with no purpose other than relaxation,” and what the Italians call Il Dolce far Niente, which literally means "the sweetness of doing nothing." Italy is a country of contradictions. It’s passion and idleness. It’s having fun now and paying later. It’s carpe diem, followed by Catholic guilt and some quality time in the confessional booth. “There’s a sense that our work will come,” says Chiara – just like her mother’s rolling pin – and someone’s always cooking. “It’s just that when you’re experiencing dolce far niente it’s not you having to do it. Not yet.” There’s probably a bit more snoozing to do first. And perhaps a glass of Prosecco. HOW TO EXPERIENCE DOLCE FAR NIENTE Since everyone knows each other, they become part of your family or a close friend. That ensures that you get a good deal since Italians are loyal. Minchilli found that one of her coffee shops was closing, and she was devastated. She felt as though she lost a member of her family.

On one of those days where I did absolutely nothing, I found myself sitting on a bench in front of two large pine trees while sipping an afternoon coffee. I sat there, allowing the sunshine to warm my face, and marveled at how the rays filtered through the branches and dappled the green grass below.

Rid yourself of that needless pressure and irrational guilt. Do you ever pause to compare the usefulness of trees in a forest? No, you don’t. You simply see the beauty that lies in all of them, regardless of the scope of shade their branches offer or the type of fruits they bear. So why are you so judgemental of yourself? Some trees grow taller than others, some produce more shade than others, but all trees have a place in the forest, and all trees are allowed to simply be. And the same applies to you: It’s okay if you don’t produce much work today or tomorrow. So what? That doesn’t devalue you. And the world doesn’t stop spinning if you take a break.Trees stand in green, representing the humble strength of Earth, while being the home to other animals, and even communicating with each other without any bit of hurry.

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