One of the things I used to do when I was a child was look for four-leaf clovers. It’s mostly due to my grandfather, Fred, who was an avid gardener as well as being a great fibber and pretty good at idling. I learnt a lot from him.
Over the years of punishing work schedules and trying to advance myself in the rat race, at the same time as raising our young family, learning a bunch of stuff, and trying not to be too much of a pillock, I’d forgotten about this pastime.
Now my grandfather’s been elsewhere for quite some time, but of course I still have moments of fond remembrance. And I’ve taken a few leaves from a few peoples’ books lately about what exactly we’re doing on this crazy planet; why are we here? It certainly isn’t to make money, or anything else to do with all that crap. One of the things that’s somehow clicked with the importance of being idle and the things I used to do as a child and things that can bring great joy without any real tangible reward is this search.
Searching for a 4-leaf clover is a never-ending task. It’s nigh on impossible. And even if you’re successful, ah well – the next thing to do is start all over again. There’s something unnervingly comforting in the fact that it’s almost pointless, especially when coupled with the notion that the reward is fleeting. I guess you could draw the parallel to life itself – that adage about treading the path and not the destination.
There are, of course, ways that you could liken it to web search (being presented with lots of haystacks every time you look for the same thing for starters), but I don’t want to dwell on that side of things too much at the moment. Maybe that’s for when I’ve got my other hat on. Or should I say head? Whatever.
The last time I can remember finding one of these elusive four-leaf clovers was when I was around seven years old. That’s a fair bit of water! But seeing as I’ve had a few years off, I’ll not be too harsh on myself. I’m dedicating as much time and energy as I can to my renewed search, and when I strike it lucky I’ll no doubt be all giddy and joyous on twitter. Probably shortly followed by the anguish of the realisation I have to start again.
To save myself going round in more circles, and of course to also provide more time for me to spend on the search, I’ll simply ask you to spend some time doing nothing. Or doing something that is thoroughly enjoyable, but isn’t really constructive towards anything. Once the realisation that it’s a fabulous way to live hits home, it’s a fabulous way to live.
I’m Looking for a Four-Leaf Clover (or How to Idle in a Field of Dreams)
One of the things I used to do when I was a child was look for four-leaf clovers. It’s mostly due to my grandfather, Fred, who was an avid gardener as well as being a great fibber and pretty good at idling. I learnt a lot from him.
Over the years of punishing work schedules and trying to advance myself in the rat race, at the same time as raising our young family, learning a bunch of stuff, and trying not to be too much of a pillock, I’d forgotten about this pastime.
Now my grandfather’s been elsewhere for quite some time, but of course I still have moments of fond remembrance. And I’ve taken a few leaves from a few peoples’ books lately about what exactly we’re doing on this crazy planet; why are we here? It certainly isn’t to make money, or anything else to do with all that crap. One of the things that’s somehow clicked with the importance of being idle and the things I used to do as a child and things that can bring great joy without any real tangible reward is this search.
Searching for a 4-leaf clover is a never-ending task. It’s nigh on impossible. And even if you’re successful, ah well – the next thing to do is start all over again. There’s something unnervingly comforting in the fact that it’s almost pointless, especially when coupled with the notion that the reward is fleeting. I guess you could draw the parallel to life itself – that adage about treading the path and not the destination.
There are, of course, ways that you could liken it to web search (being presented with lots of haystacks every time you look for the same thing for starters), but I don’t want to dwell on that side of things too much at the moment. Maybe that’s for when I’ve got my other hat on. Or should I say head? Whatever.
The last time I can remember finding one of these elusive four-leaf clovers was when I was around seven years old. That’s a fair bit of water! But seeing as I’ve had a few years off, I’ll not be too harsh on myself. I’m dedicating as much time and energy as I can to my renewed search, and when I strike it lucky I’ll no doubt be all giddy and joyous on twitter. Probably shortly followed by the anguish of the realisation I have to start again.
To save myself going round in more circles, and of course to also provide more time for me to spend on the search, I’ll simply ask you to spend some time doing nothing. Or doing something that is thoroughly enjoyable, but isn’t really constructive towards anything. Once the realisation that it’s a fabulous way to live hits home, it’s a fabulous way to live.