Idle Moments

Idle moments are precious little gifts that used to come with coffee on a beautiful Sunday morning. Nowadays, they are sold separately: coffee being the cheaper more accessible one.

These moments are commodities that have become rare over the past few years, not out of too much consumption but of disregard. There are just too many things to be concerned about and to be part of that people tend to forget the simple pleasures in life.

This is not pushing aside all the good and progressive things that has come our way, but life needs a break every once in a while. Idle moments are the respite from the fast changing world when we can relax and think things through. They are a breath of fresh air that we so deserve and need.

These moments aren’t the 15-minute coffee breaks that we have every afternoon. These don’t necessarily coincide with the one-month out of the country vacation that we’ve planned for since last year. It’s just not about the length of time spent away from work or from annoying friends and family. It is taking in what little time you have and savoring every small thing that comes with it, like a sip of delicious coffee whose memory lasts longer than the taste.

In idle moments, time slows down. It is when the wind turns into breeze, a gentle presence that does not interfere with the rest of the world but instead accentuates them. It is when everything around you both people and things seem to move as slowly as the clouds on a beautiful day. The sky would turn bluer and the trees greener and more alive, as if swaying with music that only they could hear. You hear your own music in the form of beats from your chest or from your own breath. You begin to hear time as it slows down. It is at these moments that we breathe more than air but of the life that surrounds us. The scenes are moving around us while we just watch and take in every little lesson and opinions being given without any use of words. There is so much life and vibrancies that settle in the simple and uncomplicated things just waiting to be recognized and appreciated.

How many times have you experienced the slowing down of time?

The irony is that the world has so many things to say about itself, but it has to be through the quietness and stillness in life. These are things that we tend to ignore a lot. It is instinctive that we only notice things that move too quickly or shine brightly or whose sound is active and engaging. We rarely consider the beauty of the things that go in the background.

Nature is both quite and loud, both peaceful and dangerous. Life is about the harmony of these opposites and everything in between. If we are to experience everything it has to offer, we need learn to recognize and appreciate even those that are not extravagant.

Sometimes we need to take time and enjoy idle moments.