IN THE COMPANY OF OLD MEN

IN THE COMPANY OF OLD MEN

I take long days off,  in-between long days work. This is sort of a ritual I need to do. The month of December is most preferable in the observance of this pilgrimage. It is the last, month of the year, the most joyous and festive, with longer holidays.

In my days of indolence I don’t visit any particular place, splashing around in idyllic seafronts. I spend the days loafing. I am an avid practicing loafer. I walk in the plaza, meander along the streets, stroll in the malls, and then sit out in cafes, where old choleric men silently sip the brew.  In the company of old men, I once again look at  life in this pulsating small  city, I call home.

This idle exercise gives me complete serenity. An emptying of mind, like time stood still. In this state of mindlessness the disconnection is exhilarating. There is no time to catch. In the stillness within, I sit entranced, transfixed, absent yet present.   The mind’s eye absorbing  anything and everything.

I thank God for the luxury of doing nothing,  but to sit beside men wizened by age, watching the hand of time slip by, ruminating in the silence of the moment, lost in the vast sea of thought, patiently waiting for nothing. I bask in the joy of idleness for in this I am the time-tamer,  holding it back so I can look, listen, sit still in wonder savoring the moment that never ends.

I realize that the Lord is partial to habitual loafers like me. He practiced the art, so excellently well:

He said, “ ‘Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.’ For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves.” (Mark 6:31-32, The Message)

“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘ Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still’. And the wind ceased there was great calm.” (Mark   4:37-40)

If you are one of those who can’t stand doing nothing, then you must be a successful, hard driving, wealthy  man, loath to waste time even reading this idle piece.  Loafers like us can’t keep up with your pace as you scale the heights but we have the patience to wait till age catches up with you. Who knows you might join the company of old men who have learned to sit still, and while away precious time.