Notes from a hammock
31.5.2020
Translation: Eva Francis
A whiff of nylon and two loops that hug trees. I’m floating in the air, in synch with nature and look up to see nothing but the sky. A love letter to life in a hammock.
Idleness is viewed critically. «Relax, take it easy» is my initial thought when I lounge into my light blue hammock. So far, so good. But then I remember reading: «A hammock is like a giant net for catching lazy people.» Hammocks are antisocial. It allows one person to chill out while everyone else is working. In our culture, there’s always a tiny bit of this accusation if we see someone’s leg dangling from a hammock during office hours.
You may say I'm a dreamer
We don't like to get caught while we're enjoying the Homer Simpson way of life. After all, we're supposed to be productive, solve first-world problems and optimise ourselves. Better go hard and risk a mental breakdown than go home and relax. Weak? Tired? Not us, we're always on the go – preferably in our new Porsche.
In societies like ours, this piece of fabric that's suspended between two trees is a place of longing. The ultimate promise, the sweet life. The holiday spirit. It's the Instagram post we make our followers jealous with. Whereby staging ourselves doing nothing is also working. I had to run back to my hammock to get a self-timed shot of myself doing nothing. So I gave up.
Above us only sky
In a hammock, there’s space for revolutionary thoughts. These swinging beds on strings broaden our horizon. I believe we come up with better solutions in hammocks than in meeting rooms. Relaxing sets our mind free.
If Sir Isaac Newton really saw the famous apple fall, which supposedly prompted him to come up with his law of gravity, a hammock would have been more useful than a MacBook. If he’d been staring at his retina display and frowning, he probably would have missed the decisive moment. Having said that, floating in a hammock between two trees might have made him reject the idea of gravity.
Eureka, gravity! Wait a second, life feels way too weightless... zzz.
In a hammock, it's easy to rethink or simply ignore everything. My blue filter, my mindcuff, my leisure firewall fits in a backpack and goes between any two trees. All that remains is the sky, the rustling of leaves, the summer air and a mind full of thoughts. The world can wait while I blink into the sun. In balance. I only realise how dizzy I was when I come to rest and stop rushing through everyday life like a headless chicken. We only notice how absurd the rat race is when we see it from a distance. I think many of us are learning to dare spending more of their time in a hammock.
I hope someday you will join us
A hammock promises easy outdoor life. It’s a piece of fabric between two trees – not another millstone around your neck. You could also spend your days knocked-out on a giant boxing glove, if you’re willing to spend 20,000 francs.
Or you could choose to float. Weightless, grounded and connected at the same time. Nothing is easier than choosing this lifestyle. All it costs me is a few francs.
When I'm working on a character, I lie in them and daydream. They're the best tools for working that I have.
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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