When nothing is everything

I was a few minutes early to one of the jobs today.

I sat down on a park bench to wait. The first thought that popped into my head was:

“What can I use this time for?”

As if something always has to be happening. As if it’s a loss not to do something productive the moment a gap appears. As if a quiet pause is a waste of time.

It’s madness when you think about it—but still, it feels so natural in our modern world. There are endless ways to stay busy, all the time. We’re so used to it that stillness feels unfamiliar, even a little scary.

And yet, it gives us so much.

We do have time to pause for a few minutes. We’re not going to miss anything important. On the contrary, we stand to gain a lot by allowing ourselves a break now and then.

Let’s press pause a little more often—we really are worth it.