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Preserve The White Space In Your Life
Securing the time for being, not doing.
“Those who are ‘out of breath for no purpose, always busy about nothing’ do not have leisure but idle occupation.” — Seneca
It wasn’t easy to find a quote about the importance of working less. It seems that in each corner of the internet, I am being told to work my butt off if I want to make my life meaningful at all.
As far as I understand, the Stoics, at least, saw the value of preserving significant chunks of empty space in life in order to open yourself to insight and wisdom. And indeed — decluttering your awareness and making parts of your days work-free can do wonders.
I found that real living usually happens when I have no agenda. When I pause writing to stare at the garden and observe a squirrel cheekily trying to steal eggs from the wagtails’ nest. When I go to meet somebody with an openness to anything that may arise from our interaction — rather than trying to “get” something out of it.
Life happens when I stay attentive and participate — but give up the idea of control.
And you know what? I need life to happen to me. Beyond chasing my goals, perfecting myself and meeting the plan, there is…
