Day of Hope #2
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Goal: Do absolutely nothing
Quote: “Life is all about balance. You don’t always need to be getting stuff done. Sometimes it’s perfectly ok, and absolutely necessary, to shut down, kick back, and do nothing.” - Lori Dechene
On this day of hope, I took myself to breakfast at one of my favorite places and did some journaling. I had lots of feelings and thoughts to get into the journal after my day of hope #1 breakup event. I went for a walk on the amazing Greenbelt in Boise, Idaho. I will go into detail in a later post about the Boise Greenbelt, in my day of hope #30. I enjoyed my day with myself in nature.
That evening I re-enacted a scene from one of my favorite movies, Eat Pray Love, based on the book by Elizabeth Gilbert. In the movie, there is a scene where she goes into a store to buy bigger pants with her friend in Rome because she has eaten too many carbs while on vacation and gained some weight. She notices a beautiful night gown. Her friend says, “You should get that,” and Liz asks, “For who?” Her friend tells her, “Just for you. Get it just for you, no one else.” She says, “No” and leaves the store.
She is newly single and, on a quest, to find herself. At this point in the movie, she does not understand that you don’t need someone in your life in order to buy something that makes you feel special. As she heads home from shopping with her friend, she notices another shop with a beautiful night gown in the window. She thinks about what her friend said earlier, and she buys it, puts it on that evening, makes a healthy dinner, and sits on the floor in her apartment. All alone and feeling incredible she practices dol-ce far nien-te, which means the art of doing nothing.
I replicated that exact scene on my day of hope. I searched for weeks for the perfect nightgown. I went to all the stores at the local mall and surrounding areas. I finally found one.
On the thirteenth, I dressed in my fancy new nightgown, and I enjoyed my healthy dinner, on the carpet floor in my apartment, with the fireplace burning. No one was there, just me, and the peace and quiet. I did nothing but savor the feast and felt beautiful doing it. Not for anyone else, only for me.
It sounds simple, but it was a true healing moment for me. It helped me realize just how amazing taking time to do nothing can be healing for the soul. Every time I wear that nightgown, I remember that special night. Pick a movie which moves you and do the same.
My lesson of hope: Today helped me realize just how amazing taking time to do nothing will energize your soul and bring you peace, if only for one day.
