Finding the Dolce in My Far Niente

By Patricia Beal | @bealpat

The sweetness of doing nothing? I can't figure this out, folks.

I can make the far niente part happen, but it isn’t dolce at all. It's rather uncomfortable.

What exactly is dolce far niente anyway? What is it supposed to feel like and look like? And how in the world do we make it happen in our jam-packed modern lives?

This is so hard for me that I tried to write a different post. I was going to avoid this whole dolce far niente business by writing about Saturday’s royal wedding instead. But then the latest developments involving the bride’s dad broke my heart and took some of the magic out of the anticipation. Best to search for the dolce in my far niente after all…

So what is dolce far niente?

Merriam-Webster says it’s “pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness.”

I can make myself be still, but it’s just not pleasant (or relaxing or carefree). Why? The mind is going at a million miles an hour. Can I make it stop? Yes and no. If I practice it often, I can probably get my thoughts to slow and worries to fade. But…

My brain is trained to be online.

I love it. I’m on Twitter a lot, and on Facebook a lot, and on Instagram, and on Pinterest, and reading emails, and answering emails. To fit all that online interaction in my daily routine (homeschooling mom), I have to think fast, read fast, type fast. There’s some agitation involved. The result of the interaction is sweet, but the process is fast-paced. Can I go from that to “pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness” whenever I want? Can my social media life and dolce far niente co-exist? I’m not sure.

My Dolce Far Niente Pinterest Board

Why should I care about dolce far niente anyway?

What’s the big deal? It’s a big deal because I believe it walks hand in hand with God's rhythm of grace. If I can get dolce far niente right, my time with God will improve—quantity and quality. My prayer life will be sweeter.

So what have I tried and want to try?

Here’s what I see as dolce far niente “activities” – watching the rain, watching snow fall, floating in the ocean, looking at clouds, hammock time, watching water when it’s sparkly, sitting on a bench in the woods, watching the sun rise on the beach (cool sand), sitting on a tree, looking up at trees, watching candles burn, listening to soft music, looking out the window, a slow café or restaurant on a slow street…

What do you think? How are you doing on this? Can you help me find the sweetness of doing nothing? Are smartphones the enemy? What do you do that you consider dolce far niente? And, curious minds need to know, are you watching the royal wedding? :)

About Patricia

Patricia Beal has danced ballet her whole life. She is from Brazil and fell in love with the English language while washing dishes at a McDonald's in Indianapolis. She put herself through college working at a BP gas station and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in English Literature. She then worked as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army for seven years.

She now writes contemporary fiction and is represented by Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her debut novel, A Season to Dance, came out in May of 2017 (Bling! / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas). A Portuguese translation will be out in her native Brazil in August of 2018 (Editora Pandorga). Patricia is a 2015 Genesis semi-finalist and First Impressions finalist. She and her husband live in North Carolina with their two children.

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DEVOTION: Be Still and Know ~ by Kathi Macias

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10, NKJV).

With all the running around and deadline-meeting I’ve been doing lately, I wasn’t surprised to find myself immersed in the Psalms, focusing particularly on the first part of 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” That’s a scripture I come back to often, reminding myself of the need to break away from all my busyness and just listen to God. But today I found myself snagged by the rest of the verse: “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Isn’t is amazing how we can make even the verses of the Bible “all about us”? I mean, seriously, we know life doesn’t work that way, and we even proclaim it—sometimes loudly and often. But oh, how often we forget that great truth and go right back to that tiny little universe that revolves around ourselves!

As I read and re-read the second part of that verse today, I realized God wasn’t telling me to be still

and remember that He is God simply for my own sake (so I could rest and reflect and re-prioritize, though that is certainly a byproduct of practicing this scriptural admonition), but rather He is telling the residents of the earth to abandon their own pursuits and realize that only His purposes will be fulfilled—and that it is His Name that will be lifted up and glorified among the nations, not our own or anyone else’s, for that matter.

What a reminder this has been for me! Though I realize God wants me to slow down and make a point to spend time with Him regularly, He is also calling out to all mankind to stop its futile self-worship and to honor Him—while there is still time. For one day very soon God will no longer extend His mercy by withholding His final judgment. That day will come suddenly, and judgment will arrive with no more time for repentance or reflection or re-prioritizing. 

It is time for each of us—all mankind, in every nation, across the earth—to “be still” and know that God reigns supreme, and His Name will indeed be glorified throughout the earth. For those of us who have acknowledged Christ as Savior, what a magnificent day that will be! Meanwhile, may we rededicate ourselves to praying for countless multitudes who have yet to bow their knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May they do so before it is too late!

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. 
A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. 

She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband.

DEVOTION: Be Still! ~ by Shirley Corder.

"Be still and know that I am God." 

Psalm 46:10

This morning I awoke and lay in the semi-darkness, allowing the peace of the early morning to flow over me. "Lord," I prayed silently. "Thank you for another day. Please help me to spend it as you want me to." 

Even as I prayed, my mind skipped ahead to the frantic schedule that lay ahead. An appointment with a lady who wanted me to be her mentor, singing in a scheduled concert, speaking at a meeting, finishing off a series of commissioned devotional messages for an overseas publisher, continuing work on my book, writing my next devotional blog for ICFW, walking the dog, making meals, oh yes, and finding time for my amazing husband. I knew, even in those early pre-dawn minutes that it wasn't all going to happen. There wouldn't be enough hours. A sense of panic started to claw its way up toward my throat.

Help me to spend it as you want me to.  Was this how he wanted me to spend my day? Perhaps it was, but not in the frantic rush I already anticipated. If God wanted me to do all these things, He would supply the time. If there wasn't enough time, then something had to be dropped. But what?

I have long since learned the phrase, "God first." Before I put my foot to the ground, I had to spend time with God. To make contact with Him. Otherwise my day would be a mess. 

As part of my daily Quiet Time with God, I am currently reading The God who Sees You," by Tammy Maltby. She takes the verse I've quoted above and turns it around. "Be still and know that I am God" becomes "Don't be still - don't know God."

When I first read this, I decided to print it out and stick it on the shelf above my computer desk where I would see it every time I sat down to work. Perhaps I need to stick it all over the house. Why? Because it is so easy to become too busy, to get caught up in the crazy schedule that faces me most days and to overlook the most important thing of all - to be still and know that He is God. Not the person I will see later today. Not the concert. Not the dog. Not even my husband. There will be time for all these if they are part of God's plan for my day. But they are not God. He is God. Be still!

I don't know who first conjured the life of the typical retired person. You know the picture. For the person over a certain age, life becomes so quiet and serene it's boring. The woman sits and soaks her feet while she lovingly knits for her grandchildren and listens to her favourite radio programme. (Oh yes, she typically still multi-tasks, but at such a gentle pace.) I have to admit I haven't met too many of those ladies! Wait. I don't know any. But that's the picture I used to have of retirement. The man on the other hand sits on the stoep and watches the day go by, usually with a pipe in his mouth - or he's reading the newspaper.

What bliss. Or is it? Is that really what God would want of any of us? I can't see Jesus sitting on the stoep reading the newspaper, can you? (Forget the pipe!) 

At the same time, perhaps we need to bring back the stillness. Even a little. Can we not find a space in each day, somewhere, to be still. Maybe, like me, the best time to find that time is before the day even starts. Before I put on the bedside light and acknowledge that the day has begun. "Thank you Lord for this new day. Help me enjoy it for a few minutes before I get into the busyness. Help me be still and know that you are not only God - you're my God."

Will you join me? Today? Schedule a few minutes of stillness into your frantic schedule, and you know what? I think we'll both find we achieve more. At the end of the day, we will be able to say, "Thank you Lord for this day that's just gone by. I spent it as you wanted me to."

Give it a try, and then come back and share how it went. Did you achieve less? Or did you get through more? Don't be still - don't know God. Makes you think, doesn't it?

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her sojourn in the cancer valley.

Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook. 

DEVOTION: Be Still and Know . . . ~ Kathi Macias

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10, NKJV).

With all the running around and deadline-meeting I’ve been doing lately, I wasn’t surprised to find myself immersed in the Psalms, focusing particularly on the first part of 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” That’s a scripture I come back to often, reminding myself of the need to break away from all my busyness and just listen to God. But today I found myself snagged by the rest of the verse: “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Isn’t is amazing how we can make even the verses of the Bible “all about us”? I mean, seriously, we know life doesn’t work that way, and we even proclaim it—sometimes loudly and often. But oh, how often we forget that great truth and go right back to that tiny little universe that revolves around ourselves!

As I read and re-read the second part of that verse today, I realized God wasn’t telling me to be still and remember that He is God simply for my own sake (so I could rest and reflect and re-prioritize, though that is certainly a byproduct of practicing this scriptural admonition), but rather He is telling the residents of the earth to abandon their own pursuits and realize that only His purposes will be fulfilled—and that it is His Name that will be lifted up and glorified among the nations, not our own or anyone else’s, for that matter.

What a reminder this has been for me! Though I realize God wants me to slow down and make a point to spend time with Him regularly, He is also calling out to all mankind to stop its futile self-worship and to honor Him—while there is still time. For one day very soon God will no longer extend His mercy by withholding His final judgment. That day will come suddenly, and judgment will arrive with no more time for repentance or reflection or re-prioritizing. It is time for each of us—all mankind, in every nation, across the earth—to “be still” and know that God reigns supreme, and His Name will indeed be glorified throughout the earth. For those of us who have acknowledged Christ as Savior, what a magnificent day that will be! Meanwhile, may we rededicate ourselves to praying for countless multitudes who have yet to bow their knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May they do so before it is too late!

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband.