The way the Changes roll forward, one sometimes gets the impression that they will steamroll us all the time. Actually, that’s a condition created by too much going on in the mind and too much sensation in the body. The sages of ancient China thought that city folk had a mental pathogen. The outcome of this disease? To drain oneself and one’s vitality of all elasticity and volume until one became like a spiritually dead person! A wraith, so to speak.
So in this week in balance, let is set down the concept of “harmoniously going along with the Changes” (the times) so that one ends up in a form of slack-time. Slack time is considered very good for the body and the mind. It feels wrong because our society has taught us that it means we are useless, or boring, or unimportant. But actually even in the olden days the nobility running things sought lots of slack time.
It isn’t actually wrong to take plenty of vacation days, for this very reason. And if you don’t get enough, usually Tao (or God) will find a way to put the brakes on your life to make sure you make up for the slack time. It’s at times like this that things will inevitably “pile up” so don’t worry. You will be busy again.
But in the in between, try to enjoy the doldrums, and recognize that they are potentially very good for your mind and health.