Soothing Saturday: The Luxury of Doing Nothing Quickly
We live in a hurry.
Not necessarily because we are busy. Sometimes we are simply accustomed to moving quickly.
Soothing Saturday — is my little corner for slowing down and stepping away from my usual genealogy deep dives. Think of it as a gentle exhale at the end of the week — a space for reflections, small joys, and simple stories written just for the pleasure of it.
Even relaxing can become something we rush through.
We have become remarkably efficient at doing nothing.
Perhaps, just for today, we could try something different.
Do one ordinary thing slowly.
Make a cup of coffee and don’t drink it while checking your phone. Sit down with it. Let it cool a little. Look out the window.
Put on a piece of music and listen to the whole thing.
Not while reading the news.
Not while answering email.
Just listen.
There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about giving one thing your complete attention.
Take a walk without measuring it.
You don’t need to know how many steps you have taken. You don’t need to improve your fitness. You don’t need to photograph anything.
Walk until you feel like turning around.
Notice the weather.
Notice the light.
Notice the ridiculous determination of a small bird looking for food.
Let the world be interesting without requiring you to record it.
Perhaps read a few pages of a book.
Not twenty chapters.
Not because you have set yourself a target.
Just a few pages.
And when you reach the end of a page, don’t immediately turn it.
Stay there for a moment.
There is no prize for finishing first.
No! Not yet. The whole point of this Saturday is to slow down. Finish your coffee first.
On second thought… buy the book now. Ha!
Right. Sales pitch over. Back to the coffee.”
We spend an extraordinary amount of our lives trying to get somewhere else.
To the weekend.
To the holiday.
To retirement.
To the next episode.
To the next notification.
To the next achievement.
And meanwhile, this particular Saturday is quietly disappearing.
We won’t get it back.
So perhaps the nicest thing you can do with it is not to optimise it.
Don’t make a project out of your relaxation.
Don’t turn your walk into a workout.
Don’t turn your coffee into a productivity ritual.
Don’t turn your reading into a challenge.
Just be there.
For a little while.
The world will still be waiting when you get back.
And if it isn’t—
well, there was never much you could have done about that anyway.
Until next time — may your coffee be warm, your records be legible, and your heart find a reason to smile. Have a great weekend!
