"Time Out" Is Good Therapy

"Time Out" Is Good Therapy

By Florence Vining Thomen, East Canaan

"They" tell us that we should all take at least ten minutes each day to go and sit and do "nothing." Well, I can go and sit for a lot longer than the specified length of time—but "do nothing"? Oh, no, my thoughts just really run rampant. I think of so many things—some happy, some painful. If you could see me reclining there in my usual place, you'd wonder at the many changes of facial expressions exhibited. Sometimes I might have a big smile, other times the tears could be streaming down my face. (You might wonder what I could be so sad about.)

I often dwell on my recent acquisition of a "best friend." You know, I am so pleased to have a lot of dear, true friends. I can call on any of them, day or night, for any reason at all. Sometimes you might find me having a lengthy chat with one "best friend" at 1:30 in the night. It is never too late or too early to chat and compare notes with a kindred spirit.

So what else do I cogitate about, in my restful reverie? I fantasize about a future conversation with someone. (Do I say this, or that? What will his or her response be?) I decide what my next article for The Voice will be about. Do I have any memories of days gone by that I haven't already written? Then I start looking back in time, and suddenly I realize that I have dozed, and that "ten minutes" has turned into an hour. I guess that is what "they" hoped for, when advocating a time to do nothing. It can be a time that is so productive, or a time so inspiring in some way, that we can all profit by taking that time off from our daily routine.

Do indulge! It is good therapy, my friend.