I picture busy people leading busy lives,

buzzing through the day,

like bees in their hive.

Productivity today comes in pairs,

with going faster and despair.

As you read me today, I wonder if you eat on your desk while finishing some work, if you do some business calls while you walk in the park, if you check social media while lying on the beach and if you watch television while resting on your back.

Do you remember when you were a child at home on a cold winter day? Did you use to have breakfast while looking at food and wondering about the cereals floating in the milk? Did you use to stare through the window or at the ceiling for hours? Did you know by heart the patterns of the carpets? Did you have secret corners around the house?

When life was slow, we all used to wander. Our mind used to flow from a thought to another, taking us places, making projects, dreaming and visualizing.

We used to get bored.

When was the last time you got bored and stayed bored and resisted the urge to “do something with your free time”?

When was your last coffee without a smoke?

When was your last resting time with your eyes closed but not to sleep?

Could you please slow down for the sake of happiness?

Could you let your child get bored with a finger tracing lines in the sand?

Could you not schedule their day since they are born?

Could you let their brains wander and grow without the constant unneeded stimulation?

As the pace grew faster, attention skills dropped. Imagination collapsed, and creativity vanished. In the clinic, children come to see me not knowing how to play. Adolescents seek help as they struggle with their social skills.

You run all day and run out of time. No time to text or call someone you love. No time to buy groceries, no time to make a salad, no time to gather around food. No time to sleep. No time for fun.

You are losing on survival needs and most of all, you are losing happiness. The shadows of anxiety roam the corners and you keep wondering why.

Let the mind wander again and welcome the free stream of consciousness. Give your brain a chance to produce thoughts spontaneously without pressure. Let the frontal and parietal cortex do the work. Trust your brain and take care of it.

Rest, be bored for a while.