Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place.

Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching

I long for spaciousness of time. I’ve touched it, but it’s always been fleeting. Overcommitting is a hard habit to break. Dan and I have long conversations about cutting back on extra activities at work and at home. He has stopped doing extra side jobs and reports how it has reduced his stress. The extra money just isn’t worth the added time stress anymore. I’ve given up banjo lessons. Even though I love the music, the time stress of lessons right now, undermines the fun, so I let go of it.

As my life arcs into its fall season, I long for the spaciousness of time I felt as a child, to spend more time among trees and in fields as I did in my teen years. When I recall the instances when I have touched the benevolent universe’s pulse the image that comes to me is riding my bike on a golden Autumn day through Amish farm country, the throng of late crickets and the golden grasses waving me on.

Jon Kabat-Zinn reminds us that the practice of non-doing that Lau-Tzu wrote about in the 6th century B.C. helps us to experience well-being. Why exactly? Because wellbeing, inner balance and peacefulness exists outside of time. Whoa, how can anything exist outside of time?

When was the last time you had one of those days when you just felt at peace and there was no where in particular you needed to go, nothing demanding your attention? It’s a rare experience, but spaciousness of time is among newly identified markers of well-being. According to Kabat-Zinn, taking time to do nothing, even when you are busy can change your experience of time and contribute to your sense of well-being, even if you practice only a few minutes a day. Here I go, I’m off the clock, heading to a few minutes of nothing at all.