Storystar Short Stories

April 2025 Obs (Approx. 600 wds.)
A Couple of Random Observations
Readers may recall that I’ve written about niksen, which is the Dutch word for doing nothing and signifies the opposite of being overly busy leading to stress and burnout. I also noted that when it appeared that I was just idly sitting around I was practicing the art of niksen. Now I’ve learned from an article in the latest issue of the AARP magazine that the Italians also have, not a word, but a phrase for it, Il dolce far niente, which means the sweetness of doing nothing. So it seems that I was not only doing nothing but also experiencing the sweetness of doing it, that is, doing nothing.
I don’t know if there is a French word or phrase for doing nothing but from my obsevation in visiting France I’d say the French were skilled in this as whenever we took a break from our busy sight-seeing and rested in a sidewalk café there were any number of men in business suits also there. Do we Americans have a word or phrase for doing nothing? Not that I know of unless it’s “idling” or “loafing” and the implication of these is not good. So I’ll continue to either do niksen or, even better, Il dolce far niente.
Ed Sullivan: One of the things which I’ve always liked to do while doing nothing in particular is listen to music. Way back I had a phonograph that played 78 rpm records. Anyone remember these? Then there came tapes, then CD’s. Now I find I can get just about anything musical on my iPad via Youtube. I recently wanted to hear Harry Belefonte singing Jamaica Farewell so asked for it on Youtube and there he was, the young Belefonte, on the Ed Sullivan show. Ed Sullivan? Good grief, I hadn’t thought about the Ed Sullivan show in years but at one time if you had a TV set you had to watch it.
The Ed Sullivan show started in 1948 and ended in 1971, a run of 23 years. 1948? 1971? No wonder I hadn’t thought about it for years. It was a variety show, a type of show popular in early television days and extinct now. I still remember Sullivan as writing a gossip column for the Daily News. On television, he was stiff, awkward and nervous and talked as if having a mouthful of marbles---a very unlikely TV star. But evidently he was a great judge of talent. I remember the Beatles being on his show. I don’t know if this was their first US appearance but it was pretty early and meant that they’d be a big American success. Elvis Presley was also on the show early in his career. Other guests were The Supremes, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. So, does anyone remember Ed Sullivan now? For that matter, does anyone remember Harry Belafonte now? When was the last time anyone heard a calypso song?
Okay, it’s time for me to get back to niksening now and while I’m doing this I’ll be trying to remember all of those television shows I used to watch when younger, much younger---let’s see, Show of Shows with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, and on and on. Those were the days.
Addendum: My latest book, Potpourri VII, a collection of my recent stories, Observations & some other writings, is available on Amazon as an e-book. If you have Kindle put Potpourri VII by Martin Green in search box. Cost---if you have Amazon Prime, nothing. If not, almost nothing.
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The View From 95: Prologue(Martin Green) April 2025 Obs (Approx. 600 wds.)
A Couple of Random Observations
Readers may recall that I’ve written about niksen, which is the Dutch word for doing nothing and signifies the opposite of being overly busy leading to stress and burnout. I also noted that when it appeared that I was just idly sitting around I was practicing the art of niksen. Now I’ve learned from an article in the latest issue of the AARP magazine that the Italians also have, not a word, but a phrase for it, Il dolce far niente, which means the sweetness of doing nothing. So it seems that I was not only doing nothing but also experiencing the sweetness of doing it, that is, doing nothing.
I don’t know if there is a French word or phrase for doing nothing but from my obsevation in visiting France I’d say the French were skilled in this as whenever we took a break from our busy sight-seeing and rested in a sidewalk café there were any number of men in business suits also there. Do we Americans have a word or phrase for doing nothing? Not that I know of unless it’s “idling” or “loafing” and the implication of these is not good. So I’ll continue to either do niksen or, even better, Il dolce far niente.
Ed Sullivan: One of the things which I’ve always liked to do while doing nothing in particular is listen to music. Way back I had a phonograph that played 78 rpm records. Anyone remember these? Then there came tapes, then CD’s. Now I find I can get just about anything musical on my iPad via Youtube. I recently wanted to hear Harry Belefonte singing Jamaica Farewell so asked for it on Youtube and there he was, the young Belefonte, on the Ed Sullivan show. Ed Sullivan? Good grief, I hadn’t thought about the Ed Sullivan show in years but at one time if you had a TV set you had to watch it.
The Ed Sullivan show started in 1948 and ended in 1971, a run of 23 years. 1948? 1971? No wonder I hadn’t thought about it for years. It was a variety show, a type of show popular in early television days and extinct now. I still remember Sullivan as writing a gossip column for the Daily News. On television, he was stiff, awkward and nervous and talked as if having a mouthful of marbles---a very unlikely TV star. But evidently he was a great judge of talent. I remember the Beatles being on his show. I don’t know if this was their first US appearance but it was pretty early and meant that they’d be a big American success. Elvis Presley was also on the show early in his career. Other guests were The Supremes, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. So, does anyone remember Ed Sullivan now? For that matter, does anyone remember Harry Belafonte now? When was the last time anyone heard a calypso song?
Okay, it’s time for me to get back to niksening now and while I’m doing this I’ll be trying to remember all of those television shows I used to watch when younger, much younger---let’s see, Show of Shows with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, and on and on. Those were the days.
Addendum: My latest book, Potpourri VII, a collection of my recent stories, Observations & some other writings, is available on Amazon as an e-book. If you have Kindle put Potpourri VII by Martin Green in search box. Cost---if you have Amazon Prime, nothing. If not, almost nothing.
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Gerald R Gioglio

03/12/2025

Thanks for the trip back through musical and TV nostalgia. Those of us of a certain age remember much of this fondly. No time for Il dolce far neinte for me...gotta' power up my kindle and search for Potpourri VII. Congrats on the book. Mille grazie for The View From 95...

03/13/2025

Good news and the bad news. Good news: I got my Kindle copy of Potpourri VII. Yay! Bad News: Kindle belongs to Amazon. There's a boycott against purchasing anything from Amazon this month to demonstrate anger against oligarchical support for th... Read More

Martin Green

Hi Gerry—-glad you made a comment as somehow I posted my Observations column instead of the View prologue. Glad you liked the Obs though. I’ll try w/View prologue tomorrow. Martin

Congratulations !

The View From 95: Prologue

COMMENTS (1)

Gerald R Gioglio

Gerald R Gioglio

Martin Green