Thoughts on Boredom

    Lately several people have told me they are bored. That started me thinking. Why is it I am never bored? After some pondering, several reasons came to me. First, there are so many things that interest me, things I want to find out about, or do, or create, that whenever there is time in which nothing is required of me, there is always something I want to do.

    Secondly, there is no idea in my mind that somebody, or something will come along to entertain me, or save me, or fix me, in any way. I am responsible to myself for myself. Of course, I didn't believe this when I was young--it was sort of forced on me by life. Years ago, things I wanted to happen weren't happening, so I had to learn to find my way by myself, which leads to the third reason.

    In looking for answers on my own, somewhere along the way, I decided that Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, "People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." At first, when I read that, I snorted. Easy for him to say! But eventually, I found that doing things I like, spending time with people I like and am comfortable with, and treating people the way I would like to be treated, gave me a feeling of happiness. I saw that happiness is not something you can search for like a pot of gold, or a hidden gem, it is a by-product of how you are living and thinking.

    I hope that every person who feels bored will find something interesting to do, or see, or learn, or become involved in, something that doesn't depend on other people doing it with you or for you. That doesn't mean other people can't be involved; it means the idea must come from within you, that you really enjoy it, and that you can do it on your own.