Idleness

Yesterday was a lovely day. I met some friends and have a delicious, life-saving lunch in Quimbombo. The lunch then became a tea party, a merienda, a slow walk around Palermo streets, a late afternoon snack in an amazing bookstore, a last coffee, a first wine... and suddenly it was almost midnight. The perfect Saturday wanderlust.

The story of the laziest, more relaxed Saturday I have had in weeks is the perfect scenary to share with you this interesting article that appeared in The New York Times called Anxiety: The Busy Trap. Tim Kreider, the author, talk about how we like to be/appear crazy-busy all the time. Busyness can be seen as a form of existential reassurance in this "modern"/shallow times. I can't help but wonder -Kreider says- whether all this histrionic exhaustion isn't a way of covering up the fact that most of what we do doesn't matter. He also share his ideas about idleness and how, paradoxically, is completely necessary to getting any work done. I really felt totally related to Kreider's words.

“The goal of the future is full unemployment, so we can play. That’s why we have to destroy the present politico-economic system.” This may sound like the pronouncement of some bong-smoking anarchist, but it was actually Arthur C. Clarke, who found time between scuba diving and pinball games to write “Childhood’s End” and think up communications satellites.

Tomorrow is a national holiday here, so I'm planning an evening with more long calmed conversations, food and friends. Hope you also have a lovely Sunday x