Going Nowhere. And Loving It.

Feel free to listen to this as you read (Shout out to Peter Bradley Adams):

Last weekend, Sunday night to be exact, my friend and I did absolutely nothing productive. We had not really set out to do so, and yet, it was perfect. For me, one who has been suffering from a relentless bout of perfectionism for about eighteen years now, this was a big deal. Doing nothing. And not feeling guilty about it. At all. 

You see, we had planned to go to an antique clock store (Strange, I know. I'm slightly infatuated with collecting weird and/or notable clocks, but that's a different post for a different time.), but it turns out that small antique clock shops are not open at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings. So, undoubtedly and quite visibly disappointed, I surrendered to the fact that no fun was meant to be had that night, that it was a sign that I should return home and complete the wads and wads of scholarship applications that my dad had been asking me to do every day for the past 6 months. 

But that didn't happen. Thank the good Lord, that didn't happen. Instead, we hopped back in the car and drove. And drove. And drove. No designated route, no consigned destination. Let's just say, if being lost could be beautiful, then we had attained that. And let's also just say, if it was feasible for one to actually live out the Perks of Being a Wallflower "I swear, we were infinite" moment, then I was there. Yes; we had relinquished all hold on anything fleeting.  I'm not sure where we ended up, and I'm not sure if I truly cared. Along the way, talking was minimal but when it occurred, it was precious. None of that trivial, senseless talk. Just well thought-out thoughts that one could quickly ascertain were not very used to reaching the surface, to being heeded. And then music filled in the sweet interludes. The unassuming kind, soft and mellow, the kind that's conducive to noticing things one's busied mind would ordinarily disregard, the kind that thrives in the darkness of night.

And that was it. That was the whole evening: three hours of nothing. Three hours of everything. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say, "Wow."

So, here's what I recommend: if you have a free evening sometime soon, give it a try. And if you don't have a free evening sometime soon, who cares; give it a try. Feel free to take a friend(s); feel free to not. But savor simplicity. Rollick about in innocence. Allow peace to resound. Let any and all worries succumb to this newfound serenity. Embrace the curious wave of invincibility that almost inevitably will rush in and subdue you. Maybe this doesn't have to be the result of a long car ride to nowhere. Maybe it's about removing oneself from the world for just a moment. Maybe it's about resignation.

Resignation to the moment. Resignation to the fact that sometimes nothing can give way to everything.