I am an EXPERT at doing nothing

January 10, 2006 - 2:10 AM by Louis the Scooterer

My city (Netanya), where I live is on the Mediterranean and has some excellent beaches and stark rough cliffs and beautiful promenades and excellent open air cafes and coffee shops, and that is where I do my “sitting around.” I have several favourite places that I enjoy “sitting around,” and all these places have an entrance and an exit, so I always try to sit at a table where the breeze will blow the smoke from the smokers away from me… and I am lucky most of the time.

So I made a startling observation, that people are either coming towards me, walking, maybe on a bicycle or even a scooter, also some in wheelchairs (no other vehicles are allowed in this area) or going away from me. So, while I sit doing nothing, the brain is actually working, coz as I look at the people, I admire those who walk upright and smile and look happy… oh by the way… those who are smoking don’t get a second glance…

Then I admire the older people who may not walk so upright, and are making a marvellous effort to enjoy the outdoors, but if they are smoking, they too don’t get a second glimpse. Then the younger generation who dress for the beach, and invite the eyes to look in their direction… and those who are smoking dont get a second look-at.

Then there are those going away from me, walking, or on a bicycle etc… and I look at the different shapes of the people and my eyes tune in to their footwear, and I discover to my dismay that so many are wearing ill-fitting shoes and sandals, and whatever people wear, and those that are smoking don’t even get another blink…

So, while I sit around doing nothing, I have often approached a smoker and asked “why?” and most times they say they would love to stop but don’t know how… and I politely remind them that they can stop 20 times a day… and that when they will quit some day –- they will remember this conversation!

The few people with badly fitting footwear that I spoke with all promised that they will look into that… a very tough problem if they smoke and wear ill fitting footwear at the same time…

So who says that sitting around doing nothing is in fact doing nothing…. and I end off this “doing nothing” session with a sentence of esses: “I see the smoker and swallow the smoke and smell the stink and see the shoes and sandals and it’s so sad to see so many smokers and so satisfying seeing so many spontaneous smiles.”

Share with others