Unproductive beauty
by Maxie Kamalski
In the frantic nature of our busy lives, having time to sit still and not do anything productive is hard to come by. For some its a luxury they hardly experience anymore but still deeply desire. And yet for others like me, it is something that I desire but don’t often know what to do with.
Since giving birth earlier this year, I have been daily experiencing these moments of doing nothing and being unproductive the last few months. During both feeding and nap times, which is pretty much the whole day with a newborn baby, our little girl is in my lap all the time, and as she eats or sleeps, I have to sit there, waiting. At first, this was very frustrating for me, as I would go tick through all the To-Do lists I needed to complete that day, yet was largely unable to tackle. And instead of gratitude I found myself frustrated, wishing these moments away.
Why is it so hard to enjoy moments unproductive silence?
Our world has created a system of always needing to be on, available, and busy. It seems that you are strange if you aren’t busy. As I found myself being sucked into the busyness monster in my head without being physically able to actually be busy, I realized something: I will never have these moments again. Our daughter will never be this young again; I will not live today over again, and most importantly, I was not made solely to be busy. I was made to be, not simply produce. And maybe, if I open my heart, I can connect not only with my daughter, but with God in these moments of being still.
It has taken six months, but I am learning to enjoy these moments. I now welcome the reminder that its okay to simply be, and not rush to produce endlessly. I think God loves it when we cease our busyness, wanting us to sit still, as it creates opportunities to listen and connect.
Take time today to sit still, be unproductive, and just be.