I remember coming up to my mom as a kid and letting her know, “I’m bored.” I’m fairly certain a whiny voice was attached. To her credit, she gave me the confounding advice to “go find something to do.” I was looking for her to entertain me in some way or to give me her ideas of what she would do had she been the bored one. I have come to be really thankful for how she positioned her response.
But, I wasn’t so thankful at the time. “Well, now what am I going to do with myself” I would ponder. Sometimes, I would feel sorry for myself. That didn’t help me. It also didn’t garner me any additional attention or pity from my mom. As a parent now, I marvel at the resolve she had to stay the course. I’m sure at times she gave in, that’s probably why I enjoy cooking and baking. Most times, however, she sent me on my way*.
Inevitably, I’d go to my room and pull out some cars and start to mess around with them. Depending on the day, I’d find a favorite and a couple of others and start a race or some other kind of made up fun. Before I knew it, my boredom evaporated. Instead, my mind transported itself to a different place. I engaged in something I really enjoyed and lost track of time. Even today, I am able to take advantage of this gift from my mom.
Fast Forward
When I lost my job in 2018, I worried about boredom. What was I going to do without a job to “entertain” all of my waking hours? It’s a real concern and why some choose to never stop working. My concerns were realized when I did get bored. I didn’t know what to do. I felt sorry for myself and, probably, got a bit whiny. At that point, I harkened back to my mom’s advice, “find something to do.’
At this point in my life, her advice reminded me that it is okay to be bored. Instead of pushing back on it, I needed to embrace it. Fully. Let my brain play with it until I came upon ideas and thoughts that propelled me to action. To try something different and take me to another world.
It may sound corny, but it worked. I discovered passions and ambitions that I didn’t know I had. If you have been reading along with my blog, you’ve experienced them with me. From making soap to reconciling my past to trying to live a more sustainable existence.
Evidently, there are others of you out there. I looked yesterday and my video of a vinegar mother has had over 1700 views in 2022. Learning about creating vinegar was cool, but making the video and creating a post within Pinterest was a lot of fun too. It’s something I never saw myself doing. I really enjoyed using my creativity to produce “work” that entertained me.
Embrace It
Next time you are bored, I hope this article comes to mind. Try to avoid the TV or your phone as a crutch. Let the boredom seep deep into your brain. Feel it. At some point, your mind will take over and move you past your short-term thinking and allow your thoughts to really wander. The path it takes depends on you. It’s built for you. Eventually, you will find yourself amongst longer-term memories and other things you haven’t thought about in a while. You start thinking about things that bring you joy.
Once you get to that point, consider the ideas your brain is throwing out there and embrace those ideas. It could be something you haven’t cooked in a long time or a place nearby you used to visit to chill out or, literally, a thousand other things. Your brain is the greatest tool on Earth. It’s just hoping for a little down time from the day-to-day to really let it out to play. Once it’s free, who knows what it will find.
*Footnote
My mom’s example contributed strongly to my belief a parent should not try to be their child’s friend. Friends tend to help in the present. A parent’s strength is they help for the future – the long term. They are both critical and it’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to play both roles at the same time.