Fishing for something to do?

My good friend Steve used to go fishing a lot when we were in high school and college. Out on the edge of town, there was a smallish private lake to which he had access, and he would gather his gear, go out there and spend hours alone. Occasionally he brought one or two fish home, but usually not.

He confessed to me that he often didn't bother to bait his hook. He was a thoughtful sort of person -- went on to do quite well in the academic sphere, Fullbright Scholar and all that -- and he had discovered that if he just sat around thinking, people came up with things for him to do. On the other hand, if he was fishing, they left him alone. So he threw the line in the water, sat back and pondered. 

Or just sat back.

I am not much of a fisher, but I thought today about adapting Steve's strategy. It feels like a day for sitting on the balcony and doing nothing. But I know that Tom is likely to wonder what is up and, if he does not find something for me to do, might get concerned. So I am going to take my old Nook, turn it on, open up a book I haven't finished reading and sit with it out on the balcony in the fresh air. 

Just sit.