Mature Life Features

. . . how many dear old gals

knew the F word

until I heard on of them yell

“Bingo!”

= = = = =

Another busy Friday with

bocce, billiards, bridge & bingo.

= = = = =

Get Busy to Do Nothing

Most people have figured out what they’re going to do when they retire.

Travel, visit the kids, play golf, grab some coffee with old friends, and go fishing are high on the list of plans.

But most people haven’t figured out what their going to do when there’s nothing left they want to do.

There’s an art to doing nothing when you know you can do anything you want to do whenever you want to do for as long as you want to do it.

So you might want to start practicing.

Recent studies indicate doing nothing – giving your brain a rest — can actually stimulate your mind. Researchers report that sitting back and doing nothing for a spell can refresh your brain and enhance your creative abilities.

Studies have revealed that, when boredom sets in, your brain is actually daydreaming – and those dreams can be productive.

However, doing nothing all the time can calcify your thinking.

To start doing nothing, get away from your television set, mobile phone, book, jigsaw puzzle or whatever else around you that can command your attention.

Some experts suggest you start doing something boring, like counting cars streaming by your window or stroll down to the nearby park to stretch out on a bench and stare into the pond or at the overhead clouds.  

Killing time by wandering through the internet, meditating or checking messages doesn’t work because they don’t allow your mind to wander, to daydream. The idea is to eliminate all stimulation and activity so your body and your mind and emotions can do nothing.

Even listening to music can be a distraction when you’re trying to do nothing.

If you have to be doing something, try coloring in a coloring book – something that keeps our hands busy but doesn’t require any brain work.

These do-nothing periods can not only boost your awareness as you proceed through the day, they can help develop more creative pastimes to help you enjoy the times when you’re not doing nothing.