“La dolcezza di non fare nulla” was translated as “the sweetness of doing nothing” on a recent Minnesota Radio interview.

As a linguist, translation is a tricky thing. Words are taken, often out of context, dipped in a batter of culture, spiced up with a regional accent, affected by local gestures and painted by the speaker’s generational life span. Even if we profess to speak the same language, there are nuances, facial expressions, and one day, possible hearing loss that are part of comprehension.

La dolcezza di non fare nulla speaks to a place in my soul. Being from a culture that wakes up and makes a list and goes to bed counting accomplishments as the litmus test of a successful day, the part about “doing nothing” is illusive. That phrase conjures images of sloth, likely a venial sin. I’m sure there are verses in the book of Proverbs mentioning the outcomes of idleness, a message from my youthful religious upbringing. That, plus the earlier generation’s messaging from the Great Depression, attention to productivity, efficient use of time and earthly goods, are voices in my head.

Winter in the north offers extra hours of cold and darkness when the natural world, in theory, takes a rest. Some people take these moments for extra reading, doing puzzles, and screen time. Others rally to motion through skiing, skating, snowshoeing, and seasonal celebrations. Hibernation is relegated to plants and some animals. This does not count, however, as examples of La dolcezza di non fare nulla.

Spring jolts me out of my stupor and into planning action. Preparing for my cabin stays, family travel and summer festivals are counter-intuitive to the aforementioned sweetness of doing nothing. In preparation for my hammock time, meandering hikes and kayak floats, I begin by contacting Russ, who drives my lane clearing out the winter dead fall before checking out the condition of the buildings. At least I never worry about frozen pipes as I have no plumbing!

I text the guy delivering my newly purchased dock, or should I use the word pier? He is, after all, Pearson from Pearson’s Piers. He promises to have me set up by this weekend.

I will look into my pantry and pack cans that are near pull dates to take along. All fresh foods and meats will be bought onsite. I’ll bake cookies and freeze a first meal to put in the cooler.

I’ll include some old journals for possible stories and the Spanish readers that I purchased for the jail library. I’ll keep extra copies of Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez and dual lingual readers for myself before donating to the public library. I’m downsizing, but lack cooperation at home.

Oh my, so much to do to be able to do nothing! I head outside for fresh air. There, I find dainty purple Hepatica blooming on the mailbox path. Behind the house, tiny trilliums poke through the leaf mulch. Chorus frogs join spring peepers from the pond. My neighbor taught me that Chorus frog songs sound like running your finger along a comb.

She texts that she needs some sour cream for her tart recipe. I actually have some! We meet half way along the gravel road, me swinging a small bag with my soon-to-be her sour cream as she approaches with her black, tail-wagging dog, Lucy. Maybe she and her husband would like a ride to see the college community play? We’d have to leave within the hour.

We pick them up at the end of their driveway and discuss how “Grapes of Wrath” is not going to be the light-hearted entertainment we craved, but we want to support the local actors.

It was dark when we exited, the anticipated full moon being covered by clouds. We marveled at the staging, the actors’ interpretations, our luck at having such quality and affordable productions in our small town. We wove along the unlighted country roads, gratefully missing three deer at different locations before getting home.

I think these are examples of La dolcezza di non fare nulla.

A natural flow. A “no sweat” moment. Ease and enjoyment.

La Dolce Vita – La Vida Dulce – the Sweet Life.

May your life be sprinkled with sweet moments despite the possible preliminary preparedness before you reach La dolcezza di non fare nulla. It might take some work!