Intentional Living Series Week Twenty-Five: Boredom

Posted: 10 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Intentional Living Series | Read Time: 2 minutes, 51 seconds

"You will find boredom where there is an absence of good ideas." ~Earl Nightingale 

Week 24 was all about crafting a life story that you would be proud to share; this week I will write about the double-edged sword of boredom. 

Growing up my brother and I had imaginations that were fueled by the B-movies that were shown at our local movie theater and TV shows like the Twilight Zone. We did not question the premise that fiddler crabs would grow to the size of a Volkswagen Beetle after a nuclear conflict as presented by Attack of the Crab Monsters. We just preceded to pull out Mom's card table and blankets to build our fort...the place we would fight off these apparitions of nature. 

Usually the lead up to these Sci-Fi let's pretend morality plays was a comment from our mother to the effect, "find something-to-do or I will find something for you to do". Mom's something-to-do always seemed to include Comet, a sponge and the bathtub. Apparently Mom's cure for boredom was cleaning. But she had a point. Most of the time it was boredom that fueled the arguing and bickering that proceeded her admonition. Mom's "encouragement" was the catalyst that got us to move beyond our current state of boredom to a really fun afternoon of saving the world from crab monsters. 

I have observed that boredom can plague adults just as it does kid. The fact is boredom is a symptom of a problem, not the problem. The problem is failing to engage in life in a meaningful way. Couples, friends and co-workers start to bicker, argue and find fault with one another when they are bored with life. When you are happy and embracing a fulfilling life, does it really matter whether your co-worker spends to much time on the phone or whether your husband gets home 15 minutes late from work?

Boredom is a signal that it is time to take stock of your life. Boredom can divert you from your Lifetime Priority Plan; when bored you find yourself arguing with those closest to you. You don't nurture your relationships, your home or your dreams. If you are bickering with those you care about take time to figure out what is behind your actions. And if necessary, break out the Comit and sponge and clean the bathroom tub until you can think of something else to do.

Week 24 Assignment: Take time this week to analyze your closest relationships. Do you find you are bickering or that you argue more than you would like? Could it be boredom driving the conflict? 

 

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