Lowercase “bored” is the lame kind.
It’s how you feel when you’re laying on the couch, with the TV playing in the background, as you scroll mindlessly through never-ending timelines on your phone… only to say to yourself… “I’m bored.”
It’s the kind of bored that’s mostly privileged and wasteful.
The other kind of bored however… the “uppercase kind” is quite the opposite.
Capital “B” Bored is the humbling, life-giving kind.
It’s how you feel when you’re meandering in your thoughts on long walks and car rides. It’s how you feel when you stare at a blank page and can’t quite figure out what to write. It’s how you feel when you have a blank canvas and don’t know what to paint.
…It’s the kind of bored that leads to introspection, healing, and art.
When we create space in our lives for more “Boredom,” we allow feelings and ideas to arise that would otherwise be suppressed by the constant influx of information that pours in through our senses.
By allowing our minds to wander undistracted, we tap into a creativity and playfulness that we once knew as children. The kind that builds kingdoms from foam blocks; dynasties from action figures; and galaxies from toy shuttles.
When we allow ourselves to be Bored, we allow our imaginations to stretch their legs. To dance around and play with everything we’ve thrusted at them since the last time they were given space.
But, if we constantly bombard our minds with the lame-kind of bored… I’m afraid we’ll only continue to suppress that life-giving gift.
And what a tragedy that would be.
P.s. I also published A Short Story About Calming The Mind today.