Put down your phone and go outside to the woods and look at a maple leaf. If you can’t find a maple, a sycamore will do just fine.
Ron Swanson, Parks and Rec
Boredom is something we’re increasingly shielded from. Since the advent of the iPhone, being bored went a required part of life to an optional one.
No longer did we have to sit with our own thoughts or suffer quiet, awkward moments.
Every minute had the chance to be deliciously exciting. Whether it be a text or a tweet or a glance at the news…there was always something more to consume and crowd out the boredom.
This phenomenon invaded my own life in a bid way. Most of my day is taken up by something. And whenever there’s a gap, I rush to fill it.
Journaling flows into work flows into reading flows into news flows into fitness flows into news (again) flows into dinner flows into….yeah. With lots of cell phone checks in-between.
This type of day leaves me feel exhausted, anxious, unaccomplished.
All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.
Blaise Pascal
And it’s for these reasons that I’m setting an intention this week to allow more of that boredom to creep in.
To be that weirdo in the park who is just staring at the intricacies of the bark of the Ash tree. To sit unencumbered in my work chair for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the building. To become absorbed in the texture and taste of my lunch.
To simply set aside small moments for the foreign sensation of boredom.
…Ok, blog post is done. Onto the next task 😉