Sitting is art that isn't getting passed along. People these days feel as though they have to be doing something. If they are not working, they are jogging, or playing tennis or golf, or taking courses to improve their minds or bodies -or they are parked in front of the TV. Sitting in front of the TV isn't sitting - it's watching. People used to sit a lot. You would walk down the street or drive down the road, and there they would be, out on the doorsteps, sitting. You could go down to the store and sit on the bench out front in the summer or around the fire in the winter. There were sitting benches out in the town square. At the garage, there were straight-backed chairs. There among the oilcans and tries and spare parts, you could kick back and sit. Houses used to have sitting rooms, where the grown ups would go after Sunday dinner. Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Aunt Ruby would sit and digest   the fried chicken and talk about Aunt Ethel's illness, and how well the minister did today. Outside, the children would play, and the afternoon would pass by in a comfortable haze  . That sort of thing looks like doing nothing. A recharging battery   doesn't look as if it's doing anything either. Sitting restores your soul if you want to enjoy a truly full life, don't just do something -sit there. The sitting room mentioned in the text used to be a place for  _  .
eating food . watching TV . gathering together. playing with children.