[at-l] The Sweetness of Doing Nothing

[janl2@mindspring.com (Jan Leitschuh)]

> "dolce far niente" which is an
> Italian term meaning "pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness".
 

This was just sent to me from a fellow horsewoman. It was written awhile
back by Ami Shinitzky, editor of Equus magazine.
 And while it is written about horses, one can apply substitute hiking as
well:

"In reviewing this issue's contents, I was once again struck by the
demanding complexity of responsible horse ownership and, by extension, of
life itself. The never-ceasing vigilance that good care requires--a
vigilance that becomes a second nature--is like trying to survive in a
jungle... 

     Add to our horse responsibilities the other facets of life--family,
relationships, children, career, home, creativity, health, personal growth
and the massive volume of information thrust at us daily--and the enormous
toll we pay becomes obvious. We have succumbed to the tyranny of time,
living our lives with so little space to maneuver, so little room for error.
We try to stay on top with lists, calendars, electronic organizers and the
like. Yet each year the bar is higher, the tasks more
demanding, that inexplicable anxiety more pronounced. 

     Thank God we have chosen horses (hiking?) as our "elective burden," for
they can surely mitigate that nameless dread. Even more, horses can point
the way to more satisfying relationships in other aspects of our lives. Look
at your horse as a portal--a way to shift from one reality to another, a way
to turn a weekday into a Sunday. 

     Some might call this an escape. It's not. It's the other way around.
Our daily, oh-so-busy, filled-to-the-brim lives are the ultimate escape.
They are an escape from the silence that gave birth to creation, from the
nonverbal communion with our true selves, from the awesome experience of
life without distraction, from that primordial condition of harmony with the
small, still voice that tethers us to our very core, our source. 

     Try sitting quietly for 30 minutes, not in front of the TV, not with a
book, not with a wandering mind. Just simply sitting and observing how you
feel. Unless you are in the habit of doing so, the odds are good that in
short order you'll jump up and do something, anything. Doing, you see, is
the escape from being. And aren't you, after all, a human being, rather than
a human doing? 

     Let your horse (hike) be your helper, your teacher. Find time, the more
the better, away from the quest to improve your horse. Get on his back and
ride to nowhere. No correcting, no daydreaming--be totally with the horse...
Be aware... Don't rush.
     Let your horse transport you where you rarely go, where the earth meets
the sky....
     From there it's only a tilt of the head to befriend all else. 

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    Jan Leitschuh Sporthorses Ltd.

Website:  http://www.mindspring.com/~janl2/index.html

E-mail: janl2@mindspring.com

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