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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Swaying to the rhythm of nothing

Guess what I'm doing right now?


Nothing.


Absolutely nothing.


I have been doing nothing since 10:30 last night. That's nearly half of a whole day (including the whole night) of sheer nothingness--straight, pure, unadulterated nothingness.


Have I died and gone to heaven?


I didn't start doing nothing until after I drove fours hours to Mt. Carmel, attended my dear uncle Marty's funeral, ate funeral potatoes, watched funeral slideshows and attended the post-funeral-family-gathering in the hundred-year-old-house on Tait lane.


And then I retreated to the Thunderbird Motel, which, btw, if you need to get your bearings, sits at the mouth of Zion's National Park, and also, btw, is the home of the Ho-Made Pies. (speaking of which, I did some digging and found out the dealio with the Ho-made pies.) (I'll show and tell after I finish doing nothing.) (But right now I'm too busy. Doing nothing.)


It feels so luxurious sitting here, with nothing to break the silence but the rattle and hum of the hotel room heater, and the beating of my very own heart.


Speaking of the beating of my very own heart, don't you lub that Rhythm of Love song by the Plain White Tees? Of course you do. Doesn't it just make you feel like you're in Laie, Hawaii at a townhouse party, dancing with all your neighbors on the basketball court in the back field? Me too! I especially dig the ukulele on the chorus, but my favorite part is the drum beat--ba dum bum bum--that starts on the 2nd verse. I'm in LUB with that part. That's why I just hit replay to hear it again. And again.


The only thing I would change about that song is the words. I would swap out the word "love" for the word "nothing." That way I could sway to the rhythm of . . . nothing.


I've been so busy swaying to the rhythm of nothing for the past 12 hours that I haven't even had time to turn on the t.v. in my hotel room.


The uninterrupted quiet . . . it's just . . . so . . . delicious.


In fact, it's time like this that I start wondering if I haven't discovered my purpose in life. To do nothing.


Maybe it's my passion.


You wanna know the best part about a hotel room? How you lock the door. And then you bolt the door. And then you chain the door. And then you prop a chair against the door.


And then you're all alone. And no one can touch you. Or reach you. Or find you.


There are no lessons to be prepared, meetings to attend, or activities to be executed when the door is bolted.


Behind chained doors there is no laundry to be folded or dishes to be washed--no lists to be made, groceries to be purchased or checkbooks to be balanced. The toilets are already clean and the dresser drawers are full of nothing but . . . nothing. They are empty.


The whole room is empty. And quiet. And nothing. Which means there is plenty of room for me. And my thoughts.


My many many thoughts.


And so here I am. At the Thunderbird Hotel. With the chair propped against the door. Channeling my many many thoughts.


Maybe if I sit here long enough I'll be able to unlock the ancient Chinese secrets of the universe.


And solve the mysteries of history.


And figure out where I put my hub's fishing license.


Gotsta go.


More deets later gator!



14 comments:

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

It sorta sounds like you are getting some much needed Crash time. Use it wisely my friend. You gots lots of jumbled thoughts banging around in that head of yours.
Organize them.
Embrace them.
The ancient Chinese secrets will come to you.

Then...you shall go home to meetings, laundry, dishes, meals, wet towels on the floor, slighted Lulu kisses....

Did I break the silence?

Aubrey Anne said...

So.
So.
So.
So.
Jealous.

TisforTonya said...

Doing Nothing is an art... one which I'm still perfect.

Practice makes perfect - you enjoy!!!

Lisa said...

Everyone needs a do nothing day every once in a while where you are alone with just your thoughts. I'm sure it is much needed.

Nutty Hamster Chick said...

Good for you. Sounds wonderful and you do need and deserve it. So sway on.

The Songer said...

First off... On your last posts (Ghost geek) No one even questioned you about having more than 1 hub.... I say keep the Dr.... hahaha!

You're a wo-man after my own heart... I <3 nothingness! Sounds like you need a Vacay.. Come on home, we're all here... We aint got no Ho-pies.. but we do have ukuleles and drums and beaches where you can do absolutely Nothing!

I thought about your kids this week... The youth played Cops and Robbers and it wasn't the same without them!

Marie Carlisle said...

Weirdest thing...right at the moment I read that you love the drum part in the 2nd verse, that part came on! EXACT moment! Tell the truth...you sat for hours planning that out right? Afterall you did have a lot of time to do nothing. I'm glad you did get that time.

Martha said...

Good song. Got anymore that we should know about? We won't get them here for another couple of months. Have you heard the song by Bruno Mars, The Lazy Song. There is one verse that's not so good for the kids though. He's from Hawaii so they play him a lot here.

robin said...

Wow! If I was I was a little green with envy earlier today when April told me SHE was going to do nothing in a hotel now I'm DEFINITELY green. My oven timer has already beeped at me three time signaling that I have to help my son on his Ulysses S. Grant report.

But you deserve to do nothing. I'll daydream of doing nothing while I help my son look up facts on a dead U.S. President. Don't be jealous of me now. Really... don't be jealous. :)

Lucy said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcIHFZvBmes

another little tune to enjoy with your nothing.

Vern said...

Alone in a hotel in Mt. Carmel...where's Tim McGraw when you need him?

Sandi said...

Yep I love that song, the only bad thing about it is how it gets stuck in my head all day and my children scream at me to quit singing it already!
I am dying to hear the dealio about the ho-made pies....what on earth could it be?
enjoy doing nothing- probably wont happen again for a lonnnng time!

Kazzy said...

I think swaying to the rhythm of nothing sounds really good about now.

Dolly said...

I just love a good road trip to a funeral and staying in a road side Inn to unwind and do nothing.

(As long as there is good wi-fi I can do nothing for a long, long time.)

It's the great thing about my mid life that I have discovered. The people that are meaningful who need to die, give me great moments to live and contemplate life.