“I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”
– Albert Einstein
Funny how the word “monotony” has taken on a negative feel, huh? Even so, finding some quiet, some solitude, committing to down time is critically important to what we are called to be.
The runner who tries to tie his or her shoe without pausing in the race will pick up some serious road rash. The guy on the cell phone at the intersection scares the heck out of me. The person working three jobs to make ends meet might not like what they see when they meet themselves coming and going. Even in that last example, when necessity dictates the amount of our down time, we must protect the quality.
Down time.
Hard to come by, isn’t it? Especially if you carry a cell phone. Especially if its’ a “smart” phone, the single most horribly-named device ever created. I see people on the golf course, checking e-mail, on Saturday morning. I see people at the pool, talking on their phones. I see people in the park reading work documents. And think of the example we set! Some of our kids won’t ever know that you can actually do one thing at a time, or that you can just “be.”
Creativity doesn’t often set up its home in a crowded place. Creativity isn’t bred, at least not very often, from noise and chaos. Creativity, the kind where we make a difference, has its seeds in our down time.
Find some. Commit to it. Enjoy it. See what it feels like to fill your lungs with peace and quiet.
gil wohler says
Down time requires people to be alone with themselves and it asks us to “stay in the moment”. Many are afraid of this, but just think how much of a difference we all could make if we did…………….