The Blurb Blog: How sweet it is to do Nothing!

/ 6 Degrees Writer / By

For the Blurb Blog this June, it’s time to write about the thrills & wonders of having the time to do nothing. How sweet it is to do nothing’ is a saying in Italy. And for those of us stuck here outside the confines of an Italian villa, it’s nice to think about those who still believe that theory of the case. Back here in the USA, recent days have been fraught with news of wars and economic downturns and everyday worries. But it’s nice to be able to take a break and just drift for a spell.

 

Of course, that’s surely not what the daily grind of news and online media would like to promote! However, there is a growing trend for those who will take a time to turn off their electronic devices and simply allow themselves to ‘be.’

 

This month, we have been talking about finding community at “The Growing Group.’ And it seems to be a good notion to promote the idea of community in all of our publications and promotional bulletins for media groups and for influencers and writers to push.

 

We need the community online to look at what is out there and next to take a step back and then take some deep breaths and just learn to ‘be’ rather than to react. There is no need to rush to judgment about any one thing another person says or creates online. And we can find time to connect with friends; and to be with like-minded people and loved ones and hopefully, learn to relax. As a movie buff, I’m reminded of a line from Stripes: “Lighten up, Frances!” I will now endeavor to take my own advice!

 

Summer is a good time to learn to listen and to relax and to not take everything as seriously as we have been doing. That might be the lesson for all of us as we navigate deep waters in perilous seas.

 

Some of the most notable blurbs found on Flipboard this month include:

 

On FILM

 

I keep a list of films that are ‘must-see’ films. (There are 100 on the list in my book: ‘6 Degrees of Film!”).  My bucket list includes a viewing of “Lawrence of Arabia’ on the big screen. I did see “2001; A Space Odyssey’ finally in a movie theatre. And next-it’s time to add the drive-in films to look for.  I’d love to see “Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ in an open, night-time setting.

 

Another Spielberg classic, the film–Jaws, is now turning 50 years old! So there are several good articles this month that are praising the transformational film that helped to usher in the age of Blockbusters for Summer movies. And if you have never seen “Jaws’ in a movie theater, of course that must be on your list! I do remember, there was an actual call for “Is there a Doctor in the House!?” during Jaws as the scenes and the music made it so intense that those who were just not used to this type of heightened sense of horror might just have been literally knocked for a loop!

 

 

From The Growing Group

Not only are there some helpful ideas in this month’s “Growing Group,’ we have a post to help understand why the “Better Living’ theme was chosen for this year’s monthly deep dive. There’s a piece also that encourages us to develop habits that lead to a Lifelong Learning Mindset. 

 

And there is also the idea of “Community.’ That is one reason that the “Politics of Hope’ was created at the start of 2025. We do need to find ways to connect with each other and to realize that there is life that is thriving and flourishing outside of ‘these United States!” I am as guilty as everyone else in thinking that the problems and concerns of those of us who live & breathe American politics, American culture, and American media each day must naturally be the main driver of conversation all over the globe!:)

 

Finally, just remembering that this is summertime and we are supposed to be kicking back and living ‘easier’ for this short summer break, we need to focus on ways to relax and stop trying to ‘overthink’ everything (including happiness!)

 

 

Recommended Reads…& laughs

Included in this month’s listings is one piece that talks about comedy. I know, as someone who is officially ‘old’ (Over 65!), that there has been a changing attitude in considering what is funny and what is just out-of-bounds and not considered humorous these days. But I still know what can be just out and out funny! Seinfeld is funny, Jack Benny & Johnny Carson were funny. Albert Brooks is funny, “I Love Lucy’ and “ The Dick Van Dyke Show’ are STILL funny! But there are limits, I do know. Here’s a piece that helps to define and lay out the definitive “First Rule’ of Comedy!

 

 

About the Pope!

There are also some wonderful signs of hope that have emerged for us, in spite of the gloom and doom we see and hear each day as we go about the business of doing business and work and commerce here in America. It’s a wonderful thing that the Vatican elected a new Pope. But it’s almost impossible to realize that this man is also an American Pope! He’s Pope Leo XIV, and already he has become a source of strength and wisdom for millions of Catholics and spiritually minded believers who hunger for a voice of calm and clarity in troubled times.

 

The Pope has spoken recently about ‘The Fatigue of Living,’ and he has also spoken out strongly to the nations that are currently at war to urge them to seek peace and to find ways to work together and help those who are in need.

 

 

The Ocean is still with us!

There has recently been a World Conference that showcased the many dire consequences we face as a planet if we continue to neglect the vital bodies of water that make up the largest percentage of our planet. The Oceans drive our weather currents, bring us food, and also are responsible for our lives as human/mammals in that they help to create the atmosphere that allows us to breathe oxygen.

 

Many nations came together to pledge to work to preserve and protect the environment that helps us to maintain our oceans. That means working to get rid of plastic pollution, which has become so pervasive that there is no part of the body in which we cannot find traces of plastics during recent scientific findings from human autopsies!

 

We need to realize that Science is not the enemy-it’s our friend and those who are working to end scientific studies and research here in the US may come to regret that fateful decision. It may not be today or tomorrow, but in the words of the great Humphrey Bogart: “Soon, and for the rest of your life!,’ you will regret it.

 

 

Museums as Spaces of Healing…

One final thing is an article that expounds on the idea that we may go to museums and view works of art to help us heal ourselves in some ways. I know that it is a cathartic experience in some sense for me when I go to a museum show.  And that is because one gets to experience a different time period or culture or way of life that you might never have known about. That is, unless you take the time to simply pause, and think about something other than the immediate cultural onslaught that all of us receive 24/7 by simply scrolling through our phones!

 

It’s a relief to find a place where people have taken the time to present a thoughtful showing that involves visual and textual presentations as well as an intellectual exchange of ideas. I am fortunate to live near several well-known and well-endowed museums to see a rotation of different shows each year.

 

The next one-a traveling show for “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’ is coming soon to my city. In the past, I have also seen a similar showing of the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. It’s a wonderful way to be able to ‘immerse’ yourself in their works of arts without traveling to different cities and countries to experience the works up close and personal. And of course, that is also highly recommended!

 

I am a huge believer in actually seeking out the true works, and to experience the art up close and personal if possible. It is not too dramatic to add that for some, this may be a life-changing experience! Why? Because we can never know, until we see the work up close, the nuances and the “Big Picture’ effect and also the details that are revealed when one does actually experience a work of art in person.

 

Finally…How sweet it is to do nothing! That too, can be a worthy goal for us this summer…to just be able to relax and to lie back and enjoy the break!

 

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