idlewild – adj. feeling grateful to be stranded in a place where you can’t do much of anything, which temporarily alleviates the burden of being able to do anything at any time and frees up your brain to do whatever it wants to, even if it’s just flickering your eyes across the passing landscape.
I get to do this regularly. I’m often stranded in planes, trains, cars, etc. where I can’t do anything. Even in airports. Certainly I could work in some of those situations, but I also recognize the fatigue I feel and the need to relax and try to take care of myself.
The drive from LHR to Cambridge is a little over 2 hours (sometimes more). When I get a car, and I’m not too tired, I can sit and watch the world go by. Sometimes thinking of things, sometimes letting thoughts just flip through my head.
From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows