Afternoons Off

Well, I started back at work on Monday, but it's been hard for me to get back into my normal routine. I seem to be hitting the snooze button more often than I normally do, and, although I've been really happy to see everyone back at the college, I haven't been able to bring myself to stay there more than three hours each day. "Next week," I keep telling myself...

Luckily, this week, I have a darn good excuse not to be at work. Becca is still at Achen's! Her brother is flying into Cochin tomorrow, and it would have made zero sense for her to take the train home on Sunday, then back again today so she could meet him early tomorrow. And if she extended her vacation, why shouldn't I extend mine just a bit? Besides, I wouldn't want her to be lonely.

So, for the past three days, I've been coming over to Achen's after lunch and staying all the way up until supper time, at which point I must return to my family of old folks at Chacko Homes or they might start to worry. These afternoons at Achen's have been utter bliss, and do you know why? Because I have done absolutely nothing.

Well, that's not exactly true. I've written some letters, read a few chapters in my book, and gotten to know Becca a whole lot better. At first, I felt a bit of guilt at my lack of productivity, like I was wasting an awful lot of time. But, in the words of Brad Paisly (a famous country singer): It's been time well wasted.

One major lesson that I have learned since my arrival in India is the value of wasted time. It seems paradoxical, doesn't it? But it's a truth that I've begun to cling to. It might be a long time before I have an opportunity to simply waste away an afternoon (or a week of them) with girly books and friendly chats. I've always been a "doer." Being in India, where I sometimes don't have anything to be a doer with, has taught me the value of doing nothing at all. It's a beautiful thing - to just be. Sometimes I still feel a bit of guilt about wasting time. "Have I gotten lazy?" I wonder. But I don't actually think I've gotten lazy at all. I've just gotten a new definition of productive.