Virtues of Boredom
written by
Jeannette Zink
April 10, 2016
We have all had those times when the
tedium of a new day was so overwhelming that the sheer strength to remove the
covers from our night sleep, step a bare foot to the floor of morning’s
routine, or toss the civil exchange of “good morning” to the first innocent human
contact may have been entirely too demanding for our gloomy soul. The excitement
of good times and new adventures that once shone on our day was nowhere to be
found on those dreadful days of melancholy.
Instead, we found ourselves in the field of mind games … maybe I will just call in sick today. My throat does have a slight tickle. The
temperature of my forehead feels a bit warm.
I definitely would not want to spread any germs to my office mates. Yes, I had better call in sick. It’s the responsible thing to do.
This is the exact state that I found
myself on a particular morning not too long ago. The clever maneuvers of boredom had manipulated its way through the backdoor of my cheerful
and optimistic outlook on life. Not even
extending me the courtesy of a “hello, may I come in,” boredom just came right on in to my blissful existence … found a
vacant spot on the brim of my vanilla lavender spice hot cup of tea, crossed
its arms with resolve and sat with a smug look, as if to say, “I am here for as
long as you need me. It’s your call, or
maybe the answer is in those tea leaves you have been gazing at every morning
for the past two weeks.” Whether I had
invited boredom for a visit or it had
decided to arrive uninvited, the fact of the matter was that it was in my life and it came packing a whopping bag of
weariness.
I thought the most decent and
well-mannerly thing to do was to treat the uninvited guest to a cup of tea and
chat for awhile, then graciously edge the misguided caller to the nearest exit
door. Case closed … intrusion to my
routine only a distant Proustian
moment. But, what does one do when a
guest just does not take the hint that their company is no longer
welcomed? Calling 911 seemed a little
melodramatic and probably not within the scope of intent for the use of the 911
alarm. How about just casting etiquette
aside and give boredom the boot? Before going too far adrift of civility, I
hit the brakes of awareness and bowed to the existential realization that perhaps
boredom was more of a wake-up call than a 911 alarm.
So, I extended a formal invitation to
my new friend, boredom, and had a BFF-kind of visit. Here is what I learned from the short span of
time spent with my new good friend:
Good friends tell you what you may
not want to hear, but with a spoon-full
of sugary kindness.
Good friends show up when you need
them the most; they don’t wait for an invitation.
Good friends listen with an open
heart and speak in measured moments.
Good friends are at their gentle
strongest when we are at our humble weakest.
Good friends may kick our butt with a
soft shoe of love until we see clearly our raison d’être.
Good friends know who we are in spite
of who may pretend to be for our imaginary audience.
Good friends see the good in us and
the not so good … and, love us just the same.
Good friends lend a helping hand
without expecting anything in return.
Good friends see the person that we
want to be and help us to find our better self.
Good friends may come with a TIME-OUT button … respect and push on.
Good friends may bore us to catch our
distracted attention.
Good friends may in fact be boredom!
Just as there are silver linings in
the darkest of times, I have discovered the virtues in my friendship with boredom.
My good friend is always lifting me to a higher level of being. Inside the struggle of each poignant moment,
my friend has stood strong by my side. This
is the unsung virtue of my friend boredom
-- to help sort through the messiness of what works and does not in my life; to
set the course for the next experience just waiting around the corner; and, to
pave a way for my intended purpose on this lifetime journey.
Yes, boredom may show up one morning
on your doorstep … my humble advice
is to open your door to this uninvited guest; you may have just met an
invaluable friend who will serve you during the best of times and the messiest
of times. After all, isn’t that what we
look for in a good friend, someone who has our best interest at heart while
kicking us on to our better raison d’être!
Peace and love, my kindred spirits. May the virtues of boredom be your
well-spring for the light that will again shine on each of your fresh new days.
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