On Bored

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“Mommy/Daddy – I’m bored.”

That’s a line many of us have said at least once – especially when we were very young. – and I’ve got the feeling parents in the crowd not only have heard it, but they also have a response.

Bored – feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity. (Oxford Dictionary)

One side of me wants to side with the youngster. After all, kids look forward to events – they live in anticipation – and if they aren’t anticipating, they are bored.

As we move into and within adulthood, approaching deadlines come in our lives, thus shifting the feeling of anticipation toward the hustle to get something done on time. Life shifts from waiting to being rushed – frantic may be a more appropriate adjective – but I’m bored can also fit for adults.

In the work world, there’s always something to do. My parents were small-town merchants, and I still recall Dad saying, If you bored, there’s always something to do – and he meant sweep the floor, stock the cooler, wash the windows and more.

Today’s work world has amplified that thought by many workers have too much to do in too little time. So, it becomes not a question of boredom – but one of frantic, staying sane, and balancing life.

What if you had a job with only one thing to do? Yes … only one. I started working part-time in February – and yep – with only one duty – and if customers aren’t present, I could honestly say, I’m bored.

I quickly learned to bring something to do – commonly blog stuff – a notebook for drafting future posts, or hard copies for editing. No wonder I have so many posts in draft stage. Still, there were many times when I said, I’m bored. I left the one-obligation duty in mid-July,  so I now have time to write this post and include supporting songs – which (for the record) isn’t boring.