However, as adults they look back and recognise that it helped them get through the stresses of their teenage years.Īs the author writes: “Few of us have the chance to step out of our daily lives often, or for very long Nowhere has become somewhere we visit in the corners of our lives by taking a daily run or going fishing or just sitting quietly for 30 minutes every morning (a mere 3% or our waking hours).” We had four children grow up with this routine, and yes they did kick against it.
Iyar advocates a secular Sabbath, a period where we deliberately do nothing. In my church we try to keep the Sabbeth day Holy, or at least different, no or less TV, less social media, no shopping etc. He liberally quotes one of his hero (and mine) the late great Leonard Cohen and I will share just two lines that illuminate the conflict we have in needing stillness, but our appetites often taking us on a different path. The photographs by an Icelandic photographer, Eydis Einarsdottir are sublime in their emptiness that give you nothing and everything to look at. “So much of our lives takes place in our heads-in memory or imagination, in speculation or interpretation- that sometimes I feel that I can best change my life by changing the way I look at it.” “The idea behind Nowhere-choosing to sit still long enough to turn inward- is at heart a simple one.” He sings the praises of learning to slow down, to stop and to rest and observe. Without mentioning the “M” words he shares a persuasive philosophy of Minimalism and Mindfulness. The lockdown coupled with the bad weather made me even more aware of the restrictions and the subtitle “Adventures in going nowhere” spoke to my situation. I found a book, a short book (only 66 pages long) by the travel writer Pico Iyer. It stayed on my shelf until yesterday. An Oxfam book shop in one of the suburbs of Birmingham where I was able to spend a happy half hour just browsing. About six months ago I dropped into one of my favourite book shops (it sounds quite exotic to write this during the current lock down).
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