I recently spent an afternoon with my granddaughters, ages 5 and 7. We first went to the playground where they played and made friends. I watched them, read a book, talked to parents, and consoled the girls after they hurt themselves. We then went to an ice cream store. The store was quiet, and the girls took a long time to pick the flavor that they wanted while basking in the anticipation of eating ice cream. When the ice cream was finished, we ambled over to the “secret” blueberry bush where we picked and ate berries. Close to the bush was a gravel path. The girls found precious stones and they could bring some home. When we got home, they lovingly placed the stones in their fairy garden. The three of us were happy and content pottering around for much of the afternoon–or puttering around as Americans say.
I became aware that it had been a long time since I had pottered around so contently. During the last 40 years much of my time was planned and structured, so that I could get as much as possibly done. The modern work environment encourages this behavior with its incessant flow of email messages, request for information, electronic distractions, and emphasis on productivity. When raising a young family when my wife and I both worked, we had to optimize the way we spent our time to make sure that the demands of work and family life were both met. It was a necessity then to have a planned and programmed life. But over the years there also was an element of choice in always being busy: it supported my ambition for career growth and a sense that I was needed. But in those 4 decades I lost the ability to just potter around. I learned on that afternoon with my granddaughters that they are the Masters in pottering around and that I had regressed to being the Novice.
What are the benefits from just pottering around? First and foremost, it can be a pleasure to do so. There does not need to be any benefit other than the enjoyment of the pottering. But there are tangible benefits from pottering around. There is a certain sense of peacefulness associated with pottering around. That sense of peace is not so much caused by the act of pottering around, but more by relinquishing the drive to be productive. Pottering around also opens-up the space for serendipity, for example by having random conversations that we might not have otherwise, or by noticing something that we otherwise might not have noticed. Pottering around invites playfulness, doing something because we just feel like doing it. And lastly, pottering around may open us to a sense of wonder because we may notice something that we had not noticed before, just like my granddaughters suddenly discovered precious stones in what otherwise would appear to be a dull gravel path.
I must confess that this afternoon also brought me a feeling of sadness. When I was the age of my grandchildren, my brothers and I, along with other children from the neighborhood, would spend most afternoons outside without any supervision. Nowadays we supervise children on their exploits and in doing so we may withhold them the opportunity to wander, explore, and develop the art of pottering around on their own.
What is the last time you have pottered around and thoroughly enjoyed it? Not everybody is in the situation to be able to potter around. But if you are and are willing and able to let go of the drive to be productive, you might enjoy the sense of freedom and wonder while pottering. And who knows, you might even find some stones that are precious in your eyes!