There Is Nothing As Beautiful As Wasting Time

An excerpt from Pablo Neruda’s Memoirs, I am in love with this philosophy. I have discovered this sentiment to be true in Africa, and I am grateful to her for that. Often Americans feel guilty about “wasting time.” We think, “I should be doing something productive with this empty slot of time!” I was guilty of this fallacy in the States as well, but now I appreciate my wasted time for its blissful and restorative qualities.

Pablo Neruda, a celebrated Chilean poet, eloquently declares, “If poets answered public-opinion polls truthfully, they would give the secret away: there is nothing as beautiful as wasting time. Everyone has his own style for this pastime, as old as time itself.”

Here in Lesotho, I waste hours and sometimes days, often doing literally nothing. This is supposed to be the hardest part of Peace Corps for most volunteers—spending hours at a time, especially at night, in solitude. Solitude and wasting time have been two of my favorite activities in Lesotho, and probably most of my personal and worldly growth during my 2 years in Peace Corps has occurred during these times.

Granted, every so often I actually feel bored or get sick of just waiting. Still, Basotho have taught me to value the time in between doing things. Sometimes I sit in my comfy chair in my hut and contemplate the meaning of life, sometimes I go for a walk in my backyard of mountains and rivers (and a waterfall!), sometimes I read, every once and a while I lay on the grass and watch the stars at night or the clouds in the day (I swear they move so much faster in Lesotho!), often I lay in bed for another hour… at least.

In his Memoirs, Pablo mentions the beauty of wasting time and unique styles of doing so in the context of hanging out with other poet friends. I can relate. Marlowe and I used to entertain ourselves and waste hours with grocery carts, Legos, imaginary Red & Gold dances to the Ghostbusters theme song by Run DMC (any Beads reading this??). Or Tewksbury and I would have extended conversations in the mornings about a variety of topics, from farts to surrealism. Of course these are just a few of my favorite ways to waste time with friends. In my current setting, a day spent with Pam eating our weight in fried foods and baked goods, or shaking my booty with Kj for a solid 4 hours, or chatting with Nozipho while her cousin braids and unbraids her hair are among my best times in Peace Corps Lesotho. BUT I have learned to appreciate my alone time more, even if only because I’ve had time to explore what I want in life right now, what’s important to me, and why.

So waste some time today—and enjoy it!