“Il Dolce far Niente”

Written By : Grace Weidenhamer

A couple of years ago, when I was in my Eat, Pray, Love era, I highlighted an Italian phrase from this book that really struck a chord.

“Il dolce far niente”, or “the sweetness of doing nothing”.

I read this right before jetting off to have the Euro summer of my dreams. As I immersed myself in the French and Italian culture that summer, I saw firsthand the embodiment of this phrase. It seems like every summer, I’m reminded of this phrase one way or another. There’s something about the summer months that calls me to slow down and enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing.

It’s easy to get caught up in feeling like we must make the most of every moment, to pack our weekends and complete every item on our bucket lists.

We seem to forget that the point of living is to do simply that- live.

I know this sounds impossible to implement in our daily lives. Unless you’re vacationing in the Italian countryside, how are you supposed to do nothing with work, school, and every other responsibility? I’ve found that there are little ways we can practice this every day and learn to implement this ideology into our lives.

Instead of turning on your favorite playlist or podcast in the car, try sitting in silence. Let your mind focus on the present moment instead of distracting yourself from your thoughts. Instead of scrolling on your phone while eating your breakfast and drinking your morning coffee, try taking it outside.

Sit and enjoy every bite, every sip.

Instead of planning your Saturday out to the minute, try not making any plans and see where the day takes you.

You don’t have to have European vacation plans to enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing. It’s not an excuse to be lazy or unproductive, but rather making the conscious effort to take a break every once in a while and simply enjoy the pleasure of being.