By Patrick Kelly
Let’s define boredom; you know the feeling, I assume we have all felt it sometime on our journey and it’s been a long time for all of us as we move into a wakeful state of conscious presence.
Regardless, boredom is a psychological state where one finds themselves with nothing to do or when what they are doing is not what they want to do. A state of mind where they find themselves uninterested or unengaged with their current activity. Most often, a mind-made state of lack of desire, which interferes with our conscious awareness of the unmeasurable splendor and wonder of the moment.
Boredom is often experienced when we are so busy in our minds that we are not aware of the wonderful happenings going on around us. Often times, our current surroundings or activities are not captivating enough to catch our present moment’s attention. We then spend much of our time in thoughts about where we would rather be or something else we would rather be doing. The young family ventured to a beautiful remote bank by the brook. No sooner did they set foot on the ground when the youngsters began complaining of their boredom. Being separate from their normal routine and the usual items of distraction, they were momentarily occupied with thoughts and expectations.
Their wise father was quick to action, lifting a flat stone from the ground and skipping it across the water’s surface. After a few throws, the children quickly joined in with attempts of their own and cheers and laughter at the results of their folly. Many hours of tree climbing, swimming, bug hunting and a waterfront feast quickly changed their boredom to a day full of wonderful life-fulfilling moments.
Before they went to sleep for the night, their mother talked them through an end-of-the-day meditation, one of which reviewed the happenings of their day. The wiser of the two was quick to point out how the moments of boredom were quickly filled with moments of joy when they stepped out of desire and into awareness of the moment.
A simple meditation, try it out, here and there, when it comes to your mind, or not. Whenever the feelings of boredom arise, take a moment and focus on the feelings. Seek out its origin. Are you bored because you want to be doing something else? Are you aware of what your mind is doing that is provoking the emotion? It’s OK to be bored, perhaps it’s a choice, and perhaps you don’t have a choice. Regardless, take the moment to observe you, learn more about you. You may find the feeling quickly allows it to fade and you become aware of the splendor and the glory you are living in, in that moment.
It’s a new day. Your day. ••
For more on this topic and meditation practices, visit wakingupwithpatrick.com
