– And you, miss, in which branch did you choose to develop your business plan?
The students around me had already decided on their choice of companies in finance, technology or commercialization. Unable to decide what I wanted to do with my life, I was even less able to decide on a company that I wanted to create from scratch. Everyone else seemed so sure of themselves.
Seeing my discomfort, the teacher insisted:
— Choose an area in which you excel, with which you are already familiar. Surely you must be good at something? he added with a touch of mockery.
“I’m really good at… doing nothing,” I replied derisively. So you’re right, I’m going to go into business to teach people to do nothing. There are so many people who never get off the hook, fail to plan, fail to maximize every minute of their lives. I will accompany them to teach them the art of strolling. We all need real breaks, right?
Disconcerted, my teacher did not dare discourage my enthusiasm. He recognized that the need for respite was growing in our society. Unfortunately, the business plan did not turn out to be promising!
So I never started a business to instill the ability to suspend time.
And yet, almost 20 years later, the whirlwind of my daily life makes me realize that I could be an ideal client for these services, no longer being the one who would offer them, but rather the one who would receive them. Without realizing it, I stopped letting myself go in the gentle timeless drift that once seemed so natural to me. Is it characteristic of the twenties to live carefree and to let oneself be carried away by chance? Between family, work, projects, friends, sports and all the responsibilities of adult life, is it possible to keep space for inertia?
While I am overwhelmed by the final sprint before the holidays, the children’s camps and the excitement of the outings that summer demands, a friend reminded me of the benefits of strolling in the streets, without a specific goal, without a schedule to respect, just for the simple pleasure of getting lost in the present moment. Walk slowly, without worrying about the passage of time.
I had a shock. I had forgotten. I, who was once so gifted in the art of strolling, had neglected this act of resistance against the tyranny of time. Disconnect from your obligations and reconnect with your environment. Delight in the nuances and details that we miss when we are in a hurry. Open to the unforeseen and the unexpected. Discover a small neighborhood business, hang your feet in a small artisan bakery, strike up a conversation with a stranger.
Taking the time to stroll is letting yourself go in peaceful contemplation, feeding on what surrounds us and soaking up the beauty of the parks, letting yourself be seduced by the liveliness of the streets.
It is also a way to create mental space to cultivate our creativity, to encourage the emergence of new ideas, new perspectives and to give free rein to our imagination. Above all, it means taking the time to feel alive by refocusing on the essentials and savoring the small pleasures.
In our fast-paced lives, it’s tempting to give in to the call of relentless productivity and efficiency at all costs. We are performance driven, encouraged to always be productive. Strolling is often judged as a waste of time, an aimless activity, an uninteresting futility.
But at the heart of our hectic lives, how do we find the value of our time?
Last Sunday, I therefore headed for Wellington Street with the sole intention of having none. No watch, no program, no iPhone! I was amazed to find the Librairie Wellington, to stop for lunch at Chez Janine and to take the time to enter for the first time in this shop dedicated to planning a trip on the way to Compostela. I let myself soak up the atmosphere of the crowded street. And I reconnected with this playful habit that I had of guessing people’s lives by watching them pass.
With the holidays upon us, I wish us the pleasure of strolling. This inaccessible luxury, in our overloaded schedules, of being inefficient. And to let ourselves be carried away by chance and lightness. Because those are the moments that make life truly delicious.