This is boring

“Are you bored yet?”

Curious friends have asked me that question three times since my retirement a little over a year ago. In each instance the questioner knew someone (or was the person) who retired, got bored, and found another job within a year.

My answer: “Nope.”

I’ve been pondering that question. Channeling Jerry Seinfeld, I wonder, “What’s the deal with boredom?” Is it a bad thing? Is it always a bad thing? And why is it a bad thing?

I was teaching the third commandment to middle school students and asked if they had any questions about worship. Without hesitation one asked, “Why does it have to be so boring?” Good question.

What do you find boring? When do you find yourself yawning or glancing at your watch? The classic pitcher’s duel in baseball, with lots of strikeouts and a 1-0 final score? Ninety minutes of soccer? The ballet? Opera? The art museum? Sitting through a conference session as the speaker reads a research paper?

I never said, “I’m bored” to my mom or dad. They would quickly reply, “I’ll find something for you to do,” and it wouldn’t be pleasant. They didn’t consider it their job to entertain us. Bored? “Go play.”

When did boredom become a thing? There was a time not that long ago when people spent most of their time growing, hunting, and preparing food, walking from place to place, and sewing clothes for the family. There was little time to be bored. The long hours and few days off of the industrial age kept everyone busy.

But what happens when you add a little technology? Or invent the weekend? What do you do when you’ve got a little more leisure time? You fill it with something. You fill it with things like radio, movies, TV, internet, streaming video, and social media. We’ve gotten so used to the stimulation created by information, communication, and entertainment we can hardly stand to be without it. That is, we get bored.

But is boredom a bad thing? My research isn’t scientific. It’s limited to observing my own grandchildren. When they don’t know what to do with themselves, I’m tempted to step in and entertain them. What happens if I don’t? They find something to do. They find imaginative and creative things to do. Left to their own devices, the floor is soon covered with a zoo made from some blocks and miniature animals. I’ll hear the cry, “Order up!” come from a make-believe kitchen. One will open a picture book and create their own story. A few sticks is all they need to reenact a battle of some kind. Creativity blossoms from a moment of boredom.

I’ve run a lot of miles, but I’ve never once ran with earphones. Within the first mile, without anything to listen to, my mind swirls with more ideas, melodies, memories, conversations, and reminders than I come up with any other time. I don’t run as much now, but I walk a lot, and I’m delighted to say my experience is the same.

Yes, creativity flourishes in boredom. It hardly ever shows up when I’m trying hard. It more often thrives in moments when I have no interruptions, notifications, appointments, commitments, or anything else to do. In that space that some describe as “boring,” I think of stories to tell, places to go, and new projects to begin. I love that space.

So, I’m changing my answer. Am I bored? Yes. And it’s wonderful.