Thinking it Through
Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2009
by Suzi Gravenstuk
http://www.suzi-gravenstuk.blogspot.com
I cannot remember the last time that I had time to be almost bored. It is downright scary my friend. I had to treat myself as I would treat my children back in their, "Mommy--I'm bored!" years. My typical response, "...if you are bored, it is your fault. Sit down and think until you have a goal or I will set one for you." That works every time. They visualized goals I could and would come up with:
- Clean the yard.
- Clean the refrigerator
- Clean the pet.
- Clean, organize--ok, sometimes I would include draw, paint, etc.
Maybe a day of unplanned down time is not too bad. Really, should we be constructive every moment that we are awake? I realize I could be working on a weakness, I could be planning for the coming week, I could be preparing for anything.
I will snap out of this. I actually plan to mow the back yard after... and, I plan to wade walk on the beach when it cools off a bit. I have my Blackberry within reach because I am on call.
A few minutes ago I spent a few moments watching my 20 year old son as he napped on the couch. He spent the summer with my family in Texas, working in my mother's restaurant and taking Anatomy and Physiology. I enjoyed a few random moments of just loving him without his knowledge. If he had wakened he probably would have given me that "Mom, you're being weird again" feedback.
A few seconds of gazing at him and I relived highlights from birth to 20. Of all the things God created, I think the human mind complete with memory is the most awesome and creative of all.
A boring day spent on the front porch in Long Beach, Mississippi. I hear neighbors working with their power tools and lawn mowers; which incidentally has not motivated me to get up and start mowing yet. I hear all kinds sounds: birds (including Owls and Woodpeckers), frogs, dogs, insects, traffic, airplanes, wind chimes, and distant thunder. (Maybe I won't work in mowing the back lawn and going for a wade-walk).
While thinking about writing, I realized it is time to review some basics. A quick Internet search for Free Writing Courses revealed that there is enough free review to keep me busy off and on through the rest of 2009. We should all expect to see improvement.
Today, it seemed that writing was not in my spirit. Passion eludes me for most things currently. I did mow the back yard and was pleased and satisfied with the end result. It occurred to me that this is one more way that God created us in His image. We have the ability to look at the results of our work and declare, "it is good". We do not need a supervisor or a manager to tell us so. I repeat, we do not need anyone else to validate our work, or our level of satisfaction.
So, I made it through the lawn mowing. Then my 16 year old daughter told me she was ready to join me for the beach wade walk. That was what I needed. It reminded me of the old days when we would walk and inspect nature in detail. This time, she was naming several beach creatures for my edification and to show off her new knowledge gained from her Marine Science class in high school.
We delighted in watching two Hermit Crabs fight over a house, their shells--when each of them had a house of their own. For some reason many crabs had washed up on shore. Skye carefully picked them up, peered inside, spoke to them, then put them back in the water right side up. The return walk was tiring as we had walked a long ways without noticing the distance; again, just like old times.
Back home, I realized and admitted to myself that I truly was not bored, maybe a teeny tiny, itsy bitsy bit depressed. I have a situation and lack a clear direction on the best course of action. I am old enough and experienced enough to realize this is temporary. I don't need drugs or a doctor, just time. I look forward to the return of passion and drive.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)"The point is another person cannot and should not take on the responsibility for unboring someone else. Life is too short to be bored, or to coddle someone into not being bored."
A very powerful statement and one I agree with, Suzi. This was very good reading. You left me wanting more and I wonder if you had more to say. Take a look at the last sentence, it's somewhat incomplete BUT the message is clear, nonetheless, and I enjoyed reading it until I wanted to read more!
Hope you're having a great weekend!Avis, I got distracted:-) Thank you for tuning in and sharing a special time with me.
Articles on how to make the most of our time and develop ourselves are always of great value.
I particularly love the word picture this sentence gave me: I enjoyed a few random moments of just loving him without his knowledge. Good piece!Marijo
Suzi-very relaxing article, actually! I agree about the boredom thing! I think sometimes when it comes we are so unused to it that we are in a state of shock for a second in disbelief that we actually have free time. Your day sounds like it was a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!
Oh, Suzi, your article is bittersweet. I laughed and realized that I have been there too. Great article! We used to tell our kids if they were bored we could give them something to do. And there have been times when I couldn't put a finger on what was going on as well as times I have tried to "fix" everything..not just someone's (or my) boredom. Thanks for sharing your insight.
This article really made me think twice about boredom. Even though we know we can do something about it, we choose to avoid it, "avoidance" as stated in Suzi's article. It's true that you do not need someone else's opinion to tell you if something is done to your satisfaction.
To answer your question, no, we shouldn't be constructive every moment that we are awake. Often it's in those quiet moments (not necessarily boring moments) that we have time to reflect, realize what's important and decide what we want/need to do next. Great article Suzi, it makes one stop and think.
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