In Italian culture the ethic of dolce far niente translates into the sweetness of doing nothing.

It’s possible that I wrote about this before in here or in another blog.

This is not to be confused with doing things that numb you as an escape from the stress of everyday life.

Rather taking time to do nothing can preserve our health.

In the early days of 2020 when the city shut down I would take naps in the afternoon.

That was then. This is now:

As the pandemic goes into its 3rd year–yes 3rd year–I find myself engaging in dolce far niente all over again.

In a different way:

I listen to music on the radio or on Audacy.com. For hours on end listening to music is like popping a happy pill.

In this time when anxiety and depression has endured for a lot of us alongside the COVID outbreak:

I make the case for slowing down, stopping to smell the American Beauties, and doing nothing.

Be grateful. As hard as life can be living through the pandemic find things to be grateful for.

In the coming two blog entries I will post my 2022 Early Winter Upper and Lower Body Routines.