Summertime Boredom 2
Last week, I wrote an ode to the blessing of being bored over the summer holidays. This week, I’ve got a little more to share on the same topic! As one old enough to remember being a kid without cell phones and computer screens, I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic for the olden times when the long days of summer vacations seemed to last for ages and contained multitudes of adventures and new activities.
And now that I’m older, I’ve also gotten quite pragmatic on the topic of boredom as I’ve noticed that the best ideas routinely enter my mind while I’m wandering around, undistracted. I hope and pray for the same for you this summer: That healthy boredom will open your mind and spirit to new, creative thoughts and experiences!
My morning routine is a daily attempt to get my self-oriented thoughts into a posture of openness and oriented around others. Here’s what I do once I’m fully awake:
I spend 10-15 minutes in prayer guided by a really great app called Lectio 365.
I typically take a walk/jog for up to an hour (!). While on the way, I typically listen to a 30- minute Spanish Lesson (that really shocks me awake and gets me out of my own stuff) and spend 30 minutes asking the Holy Spirit to guide the flow of the day’s activities and make clear what God’s priorities are for my work that day.
And while all that’s happening… I try not to think too hard and arrive in the place of healthy boredom. And that’s when the best ideas start to present themselves.
Being bored is also one of the greatest catalysts for creativity and original thinking. In the absence of distraction and screen stimulation, the mind is free (maybe even forced!) to wander. While daydreaming, the imagination is at liberty to connect the disparate dots of ideas and perhaps even solve the nagging problems that have been a struggle to figure out. Many of history’s most profound artistic and scientific breakthroughs have occurred during these quiet, unstimulated moments. I’m thinking back to the original “Eureka!” moment that happened for the ancient Greek, Archimedes, who happened to discover the principle of buoyancy while relaxing in a bathtub, or Isaac Newton chilling beneath an apple tree. Giving our imaginations room to breathe helps filter out the noise and nonsense and gravitate toward what’s essential. I believe that this type of boredom also gives more freedom and license to the Holy Spirit to access both our thoughts and the deep down parts of our hearts, souls, and spirits!
Later in the day, if it’s possible, I like to spend some time at the piano or putting golf balls on the carpet at home. Sometimes I’m working on a new piece of music or skill, but most often I’m just doing routine maintenance with the help of drills that help keep up strength and coordination. Doing these basic physical things is of some benefit (I hope!), but it also frees my mind in the evening to take unfettered journeys across time and space into the world of concepts and ideas. Does this sound weird?! Well, Jesus did it, too! Not with a piano or the game of golf, but Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places.” - Luke 5:16. Seems he knew the power of silence and solitude – aka “healthy boredom.” If Jesus benefitted from it, how much more so for you and me! Summer is the best time to practice. So, please, friends – Be bored and be blessed!
– Pastor Gregg