18th July 2025
Is wasting time a waste of time? Not so according to the poet W H Davies:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
It can be all to easy to be drawn into thinking that unless we are working flat out, or filling our days with ‘useful’ activities, we are not living life to the full. This feels like a 21st century problem or maybe it’s a problem of the western world. Having spare time, time that we can ‘waste’ do anything we want or nothing of any importance, is highly rewarding, good for our wellbeing and good for our communities. It can be those spare time moments when we can notice the world around us, chat to a neighbour or shop assistant or passer-by, take time to think, read a notice, pick up a piece of litter, watch a bee, enjoy the warmth of the sun or the cool of a tree, that make us who we are, give us a sense of our true identity. They are also moments that can strengthen the glue that makes a community a community. They are also those moments that bring us joy.
The Green Tau 