Nothing [en]

Have you ever tried doing nothing? Nothing like in “not doing anything” but also “not reading” and “not thinking too hard”? I’ve tried and managed for about half an hour. It’s particularly the “not reading” and “not thinking” part that is hard for me. Stick me anywhere with a book or a paper and pencil, and I can survive for hours.

But why on earth…? Actually, it seems my brain went “shkeplunk” in my skull at judo today. No concussion, nothing serious – just a powerful headache. [Edit 11.11.04 Actually, a nice little concussion. I had trouble concentrating for weeks, and headaches for months, after that.] And my physio sent me back home after telling me that I should give my brain a rest for forty-eight hours. I’m most certainly not going to manage that – look, I’m failing already.

“Yeah sure, no banging my head against walls tonight!” I said with a large smile.
She shook her head from side to side to show me. “Like, don’t shake your head or run… and don’t think too hard either.”
I looked at her with some – understandable – surprise. “No thinking?”
“No thinking”, she answered with a perfectly straight face.
“B…but… I have a coursework to do this week…” I protested.

“Skip it”, she smiled.
“Oh… and reading? That’s OK, isn’t it?” My plans for the evening started crumbling down.
“No reading.”
She was leaving. “What can I do then?!”
“Nothing…!” came the answer as she went through the door.

3 thoughts on “Nothing [en]

  1. Oh my god. that’s what I want to do for a living: nothing.
    I think the trick is to not really WORRY about the fact that you need to do nothing. Because that’s something. Just sit and focus on something without focusing.
    If you were in the US, I’d say “Watch some TV.” because that’s a great way to empty your head.

  2. Hello Delph,
    Ben alors ? ce maudit mal de tete ? toujours là  ?
    Je me desespère de voir ta nouvelle chronique 😉
    Prends soin de toi !
    bises (acetylsalicylées)
    Pascale

  3. Saw the doctor today, and he said “don’t watch too much tv!”. I told him that I had no tv but a computer instead, and he said that was ok as the screen is better ; )

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