“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”
Whatever!
John W. Fountain III
A few days ago, I spent the whole afternoon in Starbucks “chillin,” that is to say I had every intention of doing premature research on my dissertation for a doctoral program for which I have yet to apply.
I sat there, in my java oasis, surfing the net, getting free refills of coffee, reading a few newspaper articles and reading updates on my Facebook feed. I caught up on the first two episodes of season two of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.
As four o’clock rolled around, I didn’t feel guilty at all. In fact, I felt relieved.
It was a sunny summer day. The temperature felt like it was hovering around the mid 80s. The breeze was gentle. White, puffy clouds speckled the sky; the scent of coffee beans and jazz over the loud speaker made for an afternoon of pure euphoria.
I savored the moment.
“What’s the point, John?” I hear a reader asking.
Maybe there is none.
Or maybe, so often we try and solve the problems that exist in our lives within a 24-hour period we forget to enjoy anything.
Every once in a while people who seem too busy need permission to do nothing, and people who do nothing should to be provoked into something.
There will always be a deadline looming; something that requires attention. The economy will not solve its problems overnight nor will violence settle. I doubt if any of the world’s ugliest diseases will be cured in our lifetime.
Some of our greatest thinkers and philosophers have all pondered the dreaded point-of-life issue. Some of them may have gone crazy trying to figure it out, but one thing is certain—all of them are dead.
No, I don’t want to be one of those who question everything. I would rather find some pleasure in it, forbidden or not.
I want to skydive, bungee jump, and I am even contemplating getting a tattoo on my birthday.
I would like to thoroughly enjoy life while being productive and this may be the single most difficult thing to do.
But I want to find some kind of balance between having fun, working hard, caring for a family and doing absolutely nothing when the time calls for it.
And as my afternoon of nothingness came to a close, I realized there is truly nothing wrong with putting off til tomorrow what you can do today.
Everyone needs a break in their routine and sometimes you have to give yourself permission to do so.