A do nothing day - day 25

​Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something. - Winne the Poo

Time was when a sign on the door announcing the proprietor had Gone Fishin’ meant the shopkeeper had seized the day and fetched his rod to spend an afternoon whistling to himself on the banks of a river catching whatever fish came to pass by.


That’s the spirit of today’s restful tone, it’s a do nothing day to take the day off and do exactly as you please.  Leave the dishes, the laundry mountain, the empty fridge and read a book, watch an old movie, make love, draw, knit, play with lego.  ……..Or do nothing!

And to help you get into the spirit of it, here’s a little story.

A rich man was on vacation lying on a beautiful beach in Mexico.  His attention becomes drawn to a man who comes to shore and climbs out of his row boat with a bucket full of fish he has caught.  The man’s children come running towards him greeting him with squeals of delight and help him to pull the row boat onto the sand.  His wife waves to him as she sets up a table with fruit and breads and the man moves to make a fire on a circle of stones.  He guts and cleans the fish and his children marvel at the colours of the fish scales then they run to splash about and skim stones in the water while the fish cooks on the hot stones.  Later the man and his wife murmur contented conversation as they watch the children roll and chase about.   After a while they pack up their picnic and the happy family head home together to their small cottage nearby as the sun sinks low into the horizon.

Each day the fish man witnesses the same ritual and eventually one evening he strikes up a conversation with the fisherman as he arrives in with his catch.  
"I see you spend a number of hours each day out fishing for your family’s evening  meal."
“Yes," replies the fisherman.  "We have abundant stocks of the most delicious, nutritious fish swimming in these waters and my family can’t get enough of it."
"But do you know," says the rich man, "that in a few years you could be a wealthy man like me?  You could raise a small investment and buy two boats, hire some young men and catch many more times fish.”
“Well, what would I do then?” the fisherman asks.
“You could sell the fish to all the restaurants along the coast and they will pay you a lot of money for it.”
“And what would I do then? the fisherman asks again.
“Well then you could get more investors, buy a fleet of trawlers, hire more men, stay out longer, catch more fish, have it ready prepared for market and sell it to a chain of supermarkets!”  The rich man spoiled broadly at the genius of it all.
“And then what?” the fisherman asks one  more time.
“Well then you pay back all your investors and you’re a rich man.  You could take your family on a wonderful holiday to beautiful places like I do.  You can do what you like - take a boat out fishing all day and watch the sun setting knowing they are living the good life……..” 
“Then I am already a rich man for that is the life my family enjoys already!” the fisherman shook the rich man’s hand and waved pleasantly over his shoulder as he walked towards his children and his evening meal set out in the sun. He turned back to the rich man and called to him “Come join us won’t you, there’s plenty for everyone.”

Nothing really happens in our future or in our past.  It only ever happens now because now is all there is.  Today take the day off.
It’s time to go fishing!

Trina xx

---