An Ode to Pottering... and the joy it brings.
Hello friend,
As I crossed the road this morning, the sunshine warmed my face. It’s the first time I’ve felt heat from the sun this year. My whole being absorbed it, before I disappeared into the shadow of the buildings ahead.
Perched at the window in one of my favourite local cafes, with a hot coffee and my notebook, I find myself lost in the stories I’m imagining about all of the strangers passing by.
The woman wearing a full length burnt orange coat, unlocking the door to her premises on the main street. The children skipping by in school uniforms. The grocer setting up stalls outside his fruit and veg shop. Two men in dark suits, wearing sunglasses, caught up in belly shaking laughter with each other. The man staring at his phone as he walks, deep frown lines taking up space between his eyebrows.
Everyone is on their way somewhere.
This is how my morning of pottering began.
According to Cambridge Dictionary, pottering is defined as
Pottering has always been one of my favourite words. It is one I associate with a feeling of ease, floating from one thing to the next, in an unstructured or unplanned way. It describes another form of rest, with a joyful sense of freedom.“Moving around slowly, casually, and without urgency, often while doing light, enjoyable, or minor tasks in a relaxed way. It is the act of leisurely spending time on low-stakes activities."
Pottering could be a length of time spent planting bulbs in the garden, or visiting the farm shop without a list, just to see if anything takes your fancy. It could be a meditation practice, followed by some time to re-organise the books on the shelf, or time jotting down anything thatcomes to mind without deadline or target of any kind. Best of all, it could be a day of floating between all of these.
A day or morning of pottering can involve hopping between activities like this, where there is no overall plan, but a wonderful sense of seeing where the wind takes me.
At its core is a break from routine, the shoulds and the to-dos that might otherwise put structure to the day. It is a change from the norm, whatever that is for you, and a beautiful alternative to the form of resting that we might more readily associate with sitting or lying down.
Physically lying down to rest of course comes with its own list of benefits but on days where a rest is needed but physically lying down and napping isn’t what you had in mind, then you might like to try pottering.
- Do you like to potter I wonder?
- Are you perhaps reading this as part of your pottering time?
- What does pottering look like for you?
I would love to know!
The busy coffee shop has quietened.
The little bell on the door is ringing less now that the morning rush has eased.
The next stop is the farm shop. I’m not sure what I’m looking for there, but therein lies the joy of pottering.
Who knows what the day will bring?
Deborah xx