Though I infrequently have used the term “Diddly Squat,” I can see where it could be a powerful phrase in tuning up one’s brain and consciousness. In today’s worldwide 24 hour-a-day information-gushing culture, a lot fewer people seem to have mastered the ability of emptying the mind of all thought once in a while. Fewer yet are skilled or willing to spend even a few hours in idle relaxation. I observed recently, as I was lying on a beach chair at Playa Blanca resort on the Pacific Coast here in Panama, that I was the only human being who seemed to be doing so. People were walking, checking out the water, chatting while standing around in small groups. At first I had the thought that it was like some horrible thing had happened (I flashed on the movie, Jaws), and they were reacting. But, no, this was just the norm for them.
When I was a kid and my parents and I would spend my father’s two week vacation (usually my mom and I would stay an extra two weeks with him coming down for weekends) on the Jersey Shore, the beach was mobbed with people stretched out on blankets and towels. Of course, no one had a phone or other device with them, perhaps a novel at most, and never great literature or a self-help book.
When I got to my first big city radio station and joined the AFTRA broadcast union, at KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, we got five weeks vacation. This was unusually generous at the time, and in the workaholic, Type A culture of the U.S., it is rare even today. In Denmark, six weeks is the norm. In fact, the U.S. ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in terms of vacation time enjoyed by workers. The average family vacation has now been whittled down to four or five days. The average worker now gets ten paid vacation days a year, but many are afraid to take their time off in a shrinking job market. Doing diddly squat nowadays can be scary.
There is, in some Latin countries, the Spanish tradition of siesta, a mid-day break of several hours. I was hoping this might be part of the culture of Panama when I first explored living here. Alas, that was abolished a generation ago when business interests decided they were losing too much money by shutting down in the middle of the day. One Panamanian told me how delightful it was when everyone went home for a large and festive family lunch, and then took a nap before returning to work in the late afternoon. Like so many things that are counterintuitive in today’s world, the siesta has ended in many places just when modern brain research has shown the huge benefits of taking a daily nap.
Of course, any individual can choose to buck the system, to have a contrarian view that it’s important to have non-busy, inactive times in one’s life. I’ve talked in the past about how, when I was teaching stress reduction to executives in the corporate world, I would have them take a day off in the middle of the week. Just a day to meditate, reflect, relax–and do absolutely, positively, unequivocally nothing. In other words, diddly squat! Almost without exception, someone taking on this exercise in letting go of busyness, would find they could be even more vital and productive and creative in the remaining four days. It’s an easy experiment to try on your own. You can even celebrate a Diddly Squat Day once a week.
Jerry
0
Signing you up!
If You Enjoyed This Post, Get Updates...It's FREE
I'm on a mission to help YOU enjoy a prosperous life. Won't you join me?
Enter your Name and Email Address Below
We hate spam just as much as you
Signing you up!
If You Enjoyed This Post, Get Updates...It's FREE
I'm on a mission to help YOU enjoy a prosperous life. Won't you join me?
Click the Button Below to Sign Up
Sign Me Up via Facebook Connect!
We hate spam just as much as you
Signing you up!
If You Enjoyed This Post, Get Updates...It's FREE
I'm on a mission to help YOU enjoy a prosperous life. Won't you join me?
