Niksen differs from the ever-popular mindfulness in that it advocates a state of mental relaxation, even absence from the present. It endorses mind-wandering and imaginative digressions. Staring out the window, lying awake in bed, listening to music, spending a weekend doing nothing, watching paint dry – all of these are wonderful examples of niksen. I particularly like writer Olga Mecking’s description: “A thorough enjoyment of life’s pauses.”