“You do too much. Go and do nothing for a while. Nothing.”

— Lillian Hellman

Between summer goals and an accountability partner, I had been making great progress. This past weekend, though, I did Nothing.

I’ve capitalized it because I rather like thinking of nothing as something tangible, as something I should aspire to. Those who know me, know I’m really not all that good at doing nothing. It’s one of the reasons I love the Lillian Hellman quote. I carry it with me. I aspire to it, and rarely succeed.

I had a to-do list for the weekend. I’m not sure where it ended up. I was supposed to walk 10,500 steps each day. I didn’t even break 5,000 steps on Saturday. To be honest, I didn’t break 4,000 steps.

I was supposed to write two chapters of my book and write my blog post for today (yes, this one; the one I wrote during my lunch hour).

I had planned to work in the yard. The sky was blue, the humidity was low. I did buy some plants for the gardens, but alas they remain on the porch.

Here’s what I did do, though. I listened to my heart and soul. I woke up with the urge to open all the windows in the sunroom, brew a big pot of coffee, and get lost in a good book. Not a management book. Not the selection for book club. A beach book, or in this case, a sunroom book. Bliss.

Then I decided I wanted to scrapbook because the light was so perfect in the dining room. I opened the blinds all the way. I pulled out all of the supplies. Through the pages I created, I relived a fabulous trip with my goddaughter.

I awoke Sunday feeling guilty for barely moving the day before so I left the house and walked. Maybe strolled would be a better word. I explored the neighborhoods near me. Seven thousand five hundred steps later, I returned home.

My beach read was calling me, so I headed to the pool and read until I finished the book. I paused in my reading to dangle my feet along the pool’s edge — the water was still too cold for full immersion.

I returned home and finished the scrapbook. I finished the book.

I did Nothing.

And I am better for it.