Dolce Far Niente

February 26, 2014

"Dolce Far Niente" is the Italian phrase meaning "the sweetness of doing nothing."

Jesus calls each of us to come away. To spend time in rest, restoration, prayer, pleasant idleness. We do not have to have a purpose behind every action. He gives us an example in Mark 6:31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Matthew 14: 13 and 23
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a
boat to a desolate place by himself......23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself
to pray...

It's good to turn off the iphones, ipads, emails, facebook and just spend restful time enjoying family and friends.

We recently did just that. The kids had a four day weekend so we took advantage of that time to go to BlueWaters Beach Resort.

We did have a few tablets with us and Kirsten had to work on a paper for school using her computer, but overall, our "connection time" via internet was non-existent as WiFi was not available and time on the tablets was very limited.

We enjoyed time playing on the beach, reading books, conversing with each other and with friends, enjoying the sun, beach, sand, water, sea creatures, good food, and rest.

There is no need to feel guilty over resting. Especially in the US culture there is a tendency to grow up thinking we need to be constantly accomplishing something
and be scheduled with activities.

One thing I've been so grateful for living here in the Philippines is the slower pace of life. There isn't this drive to have every moment scheduled with activity like there seems to be in the US culture.

So, practice some dolce far neinte. Don't confuse 'doing nothing' with laziness. Take time to reflect, to enjoy the scent and taste of a good cup of freshly brewed coffee. Take a walk and enjoy the breeze. Pause to gaze at the flowers.