All writers strive to write about something. In this post, I intend to write about nothing. Surprisingly, I am not the first to do so. After all, William Shakespeare wrote an entire play about it: “Much Ado About Nothing.” Five authors approached the topic from different perspectives:

— “ I love to talk about nothing. Its the only thing I know anything about.”
Oscar Wilde, (1854—1900)

— “ . . . but what I like doing best is nothing.”
Christopher Robin, The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne (1882—1956)

— “There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do.”
Jerome K Jerome (1859—1927)

— “Nothing can come from nothing.”
King Lear by William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

— “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.”
Margaret Atwood (b 1939)

I have used a variation of Wilde’s quote in situations when someone uninvitedly butts into my conversation, asking what we are talking about. “Oh, we are talking about what we know best — nothing.”

While still in harness working long hours, I turned to Christopher Robin’s approach whenever the opportunity occurred, reveling in a brief respite to relax on the patio, to nap on the couch, or to bask in pleasant reverie; i.e., doing nothing to recharge my energy source from a demanding job. I had plenty to do, and welcomed a respite, however short.

Upon retirement, however, I pondered Jerome’s approach, feeling a deep concern about what I was going to do with my time — a key question every retiree needs to answer. Obviously, doing nothing regularly may be injurious to one’s good health in body and mind, but I resolved to do nothing for six months, which meant, in translation, that I would only do what I wanted to do. I declined all offers of employment or volunteer work, allowing the sheer pleasure of inactivity to seep into my weary bones, to unwind from an all-demanding job and to reflect on goals for my remaining days. Affectionately, I refer to that time as my “sabbatical,” a once in a lifetime opportunity, unless employed in academia.

Thereafter, seeking to add some balance between “nothing can come from nothing” and “when nothing is sure, everything is possible,” I initiated multiple tasks across different disciplines with one major difference: I accepted only what I wished to do, a yoke-freeing delight.

I will conclude with a quote, expertly quantifying “nothing”:

— “More powerful than God, more evil than the Devil; the poor have it, the rich lack it, and if you eat it you die.” Margaret Atwood (1939)