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July 07, 2006
OFF LEASH: On the importance of rest
"Off Leash" is an occasional column by Fiddler. Past columns can be found here.
Horace Greeley once said that the word "rest" was not in his vocabulary. This was, no doubt, simply the self-aggrandizing bluster of a hyperactive newspaperman. All that bootstrap-pulling must have tuckered him out on occasion.
Still, Greeley's quote hints at a particularly American disdain for relaxation. We must be, or at least appear to be, productively engaged at all times or risk being deemed worthless sluggards. We must always be going, even if we're not sure where. We must always be busy, even if we're not sure why.
This is, in a sense, commendable. But there is something to be said for flopping down in a sunbeam, curling up next to the bed, or napping contentedly on the porch. The couch is good, too – just don't let anyone catch you up there.
Posted by teb at July 7, 2006 11:02 AM