28 March 2012

Simple Living Tip: Make Way for Idle Time

The last days of March have never been warmer in Norway. So warm that we can lay on the beach until sunset. Quite the Mediterranean dream some thousands of miles north of it.

So here I am, on a regular March weekday, lying in my husband's arms on the beach. His slow breathing and the repetitive rising and falling of his chest set me in a trans-like mood that sharpens my sensitivity and makes me forget all about blogging, deadlines, plans and schedules. Even my camera lays forgotten in its bag some feet away.

Photo: Kanelstrand


I close my eyes and let the young sun rays caress my eyelids. Behind them all is dark but comfortable. My place. I listen. I listen with all my being. The waves of the North Sea crash lazily on the wet sand on the left. On the right there is an almost insane but hardly noticeable cracking -- the small birds play in the forest. They peck, dab and nibble on the pine cones; then they hop from branch to branch on the tall Norwegian pines that have been growing right by the beach for the past 100 years. 

A gust of wind that playfully ruffles my hair sounds like a storm up above on the high cliff at the close end of the beach. The pine branches get way more ruffles up there than my hair does, comfortably hidden between the dunes. 

A sound on the left -- a raven announces the coming back of a fishing boat, followed by a large flock of shiny white seagulls milling about it lured by the smell of fish.

And then again, the whimsical forest song echoing from hundreds of tiny yellow breasts -- my friends, the Great Tits. Their songs are versatile and joyful. "Birds are happier than men"* but not today. Because today I can relish this incredible spring performance and keep it in my mind.

Only now I notice -- I have stopped breathing. I am so devoted to the moment that I have been keeping my breath forever. Inhale. Deeply. The sea air fills my lungs with salty-sweet freshness.  Exhale. No,  I want to keep it -- inhale again. If I go on living here, between the boreal forest and the sea, I will live forever.

But right now, I want to share with you this breath of fresh air that will keep you young, or at least that's what the experts claim will happen if you take regular walks by the sea or better yet, combined with a pine forest. I hope that you can re-live the tiny stretch of idleness with me and pause, at least for a moment, in your busy day. Please, stop what you are doing and imagine you are here with me, on that same sandy beach between the North Sea and the Pine Forest.

Wherever you live you can find your magic spot - the one that will soothe you and inspire your work or your hobby. For some that place is close to water, for others it is on a mountain top, and yet others enjoy the hustle and bustle of a busy town.

Wherever that spot is, go there today. Close your eyes and have an idle moment. You deserve it. Because really, idleness is not idle at all, it is a necessary physical slowing down that will feed your brain and launch you higher than you have dared to dream.

If that place coincides with mine, or if you are curious to see how our beach looked in the early morning of quite a similarly memorable spring day, if you like swans and ravens, see the video that my husband shot especially for you. I think the seagull that appears in 00:40 is very possibly one of the fishing boat's crew. We live in a small place, we know each other.

And don't forget to turn the volume up to hear my feathery friends' songs. 



Where is your magic spot where you can relax and recharge?

*A quote by Icelandic Nobel Prize laureate Halldór Laxness

20 comments:

  1. Oh Sonya, you have astounded me yet again with the beauty of your prose and your images! I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of you and your husband! We too have had an unusually warm month of March, but it is grey and snowing today!

    Thanks so much to both of you for sharing this moment of peace with us!

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    1. Snowing?! Oh, how shockingly unfair! But honestly, same time last year, it was snowing here too. That warm weather is out of the ordinary. And yet I love it!

      Thank you for stopping by, my friend!

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  2. Your post is soooo relaxing. I feel that we have all forgotten how to relax. That we actually feel guilty because we are not doing something. Relaxing is a great way to re-energize not to mention healthy for the soul and body. Thanks for the reminder and for sharing your quiet moment!

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    1. You are right. We are overworking ourselves, competing with anyone and everyone, hurrying to get there, not always knowing where..

      That is why we need this self-imposed idleness.
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Sonya what an amazing way to spend an evening! You photo is gorgeous, the video is so relaxing, and the words you choose to describe your glorious evening make me wish I was there! You are an inspiring writer!! Thanks for sharing.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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    1. Thank you, Valerie! I am so glad that I can share my moments with you :)

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  4. Thanks so much for this lovely post and beautiful photography. My favorite place in the world, and the place I love to visualize in my idle moments, is the northern shore of Lake Superior - water +pines. Weird, since I live next to the Gulf of Mexico! - fellow Etsian

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    1. Water and pines, this is quite the same as my place, isn't it! I can imagine the big difference in the surroundings of Lake Superior and the Gulf of Mexico!

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  5. Sonja, Your water and pines remind me of Lake Tahoe in Nevada/California. Our magic spot when we lived in Nevada. These days it's along the shores of southern Massachusetts on Cape Cod Bay. I miss the smell of a pine forest very much... I love Lake Tahoe for it's peaceful setting and clear, albeit cold, water. I can picture crisp, bright blue skies, hear the tops of the trees whistling in the breeze as we paddle along in our canoe close to the waters edge... Thank yo for this today!
    Love your photography page at Etsy too!

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    1. Thank you, Debbie, for sharing the moment with me! I can imagine the beauty around you. I have never lived close to a lake! And thank you for checking my etsy shop!

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  6. thanks for painting such a beautiful picture. I really enjoyed it.
    Laura

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  7. love stopping here for a break in my day ~~` you are a wonder!!

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    1. Thank you Elaine, that is very much thanks to you!

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  8. Ahh, lying in your husband's arms listening to the surf and the birds, feeling the sun caress your face... I can't think of a better way to spend some time. It really is a blessing to enjoy those moments and 'forget' all about the deadlines and that persistent 'to-do' list. :)

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    1. Yes, Melinda! It is a blessing to eb able to appreciate the wonderful moments right when they are happening, isn't it!

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  9. "...idleness is not idle at all, it is a necessary physical slowing down that will feed your brain and launch you higher than you have dared to dream." I wholeheartedly agree! In resting, we are actually seeding our future, right? In clucking about with nonstop busyness, we are just running ourselves down.

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    1. Yes, indeed. But sometimes it is so hard to fathom it and we punish ourselves for being idle, while we should love ourselves for these moments of simple reunion with nature.

      Thank you for stopping by!

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