The nasty bottom line is this: sooner or later, if you are not reading, you will run out of work and be forced to play. You’ll light some incense or put on an old jazz record or paint a shelf turquoise, and then you will feel not just better but actually a little excited.

curiosity re‑emerges. When people have time, they try new activities, revisit old hobbies, explore childhood curiosities, and start volunteering and connecting with people in their community. Edward, a friend and a doctor who has taken several sabbaticals, reflected that “new ideas often pop up and old topics of interest float back into my consciou