In Praise of Mindlessness

("Zero Point of Creation", 2018, original encaustic) In Praise of Mindlessness I’ve sought and found mindlessness in a variety of ways From dancing to climbing, meditating and painting, but in retirement I find it easiest mowing the arboretum. As I weave in and out of the randomly placed trees and shrubs and regularly spaced irrigation pipes I seek the novel and fresh at every turn. It’s best when I find it unexpectedly zipping off in a new direction exploring new paths, carving new patterns. In these moments there is a rush as the spontaneous surprises me, creativity takes hold, and I can’t help but ride the moment. I’ve spent years aiming for this moment on a cushion and find poetic justice in the fact it is at last as easy as pie in retirement. Of course it’s not true mindlessness after that initial spontaneous instant. I have to make sure I don’t drive over anything. But the random is always an option, and eagerly seeking it leads me to fall, or in this case, drive into spontaneous mindlessness again, and again. . The joy that accompanies the mindless is what interests me most. It’s a self-contained joy that feeds on and for itself. The German word, ‘funktionslust’ describes it best. The joy an animal gets doing what it’s meant to do which of course means it just gets better at doing it. This is how birds learn to fly and primates climb, how yogis become accomplished doing nothing and going nowhere, and how lazy old men get the lawn mowed, with effortless joy. (9/2/23)