The Delta Variant Taught Me to Waste Time. And Iâm Grateful. Searching for serenity during another stubborn lockdown, Iâm learning to let my mind wander, far away from the news. A nearly empty Sydney Opera House on Thursday. Countries with zero-infection ambitions are coming to terms with the idea that those policies are no longer workable.Credit...Anna Maria Antoinette D'Addario for The New York Times to get it by email. Instead of jogging or swimming or surfing, my usual lockdown exercise options, I went for a walk the other day with the explicit goal of wasting time. Strolling along Sydneyâs eastern coastline, I had no destination in mind, no schedule to keep, and I stopped along the way.