There’s a phrase that is not allowed to be used in our home. (Okay, there are quite a few of them – swearing is not allowed either). It’s one of my pet peeves – I can’t stand it when someone uses it:
“I’m bored.”
You must be joking! There is an entire world waiting to be discovered. You obviously have free time. Go explore! Discover! Learn something new!
I started thinking about all the things I’d love to be able to do in my “free” time. I thought about making a list, but it would be pretty long. Here’s a start:
Learn to play the violin
Learn to play the piano
Learn to play the guitar
Read a book (I have about 500 that I know of that I’d like to read someday)
Sew
Make a quilt
Make clothes for my children
Design a pattern
Write a book
Cook
Bake
Make a difference for someone
Learn to draw (oh, how I wish I could draw, or paint, or sketch!)
Take better pictures
Sleep (seriously!)
Learn ballroom dancing
Start a business (or 8)
Learn about History
Learn about my ancestry
Be active in politics
Design a curriculum
Learn about herbs and herbal healing
Organize my house
Sell the extra stuff
Learn about the plants on our land
Have tea with my children
Learn to weave
Learn to make soap
Learn to make candles
Organize my recipes
Learn French
Learn Latin
Learn Greek
Learn Hebrew
Learn almost anything!
My aunt (who was a teacher) used to tell her students and her children “You’re boring” whenever they would dare complain of boredom to her. I think she’s right. If someone is “bored” they either think they’ve accomplished all there is to accomplish in this life (I can’t even imagine that), or they have no ambition whatsoever to learn something new. I think it’s the same as watching television. If you have time to sit in front of a box for hours a week (or hours a day! How can you do that?), then you must have LOTS of free time and no ambition to DO something. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great movie as much as anyone, but sitting for hours on end being entertained seems like a huge waste of time, not to mention the personality drain that occurs.
So I’m curious, what’s on your list of things to do when you have so much free time that you might even consider saying “I’m bored”? Or is it okay to be bored?