UNBORED THOUGHTS

‘I’m bored every second of my life’, she declared.

I was happy that my middle daughter called me on FaceTime. It had been a while. We talked for over an hour. Mostly about school and all of the homework to be completed. And about the baby project where she gets to take a robotic baby home for the weekend. This weekend.

‘Then try to find some hobbies’, I offered.

‘You really think I have time for hobbies!’, she exclaimed and went on about all of the work she has to do and how there is no time for anything. I suggested she use the quiet time for reflection. To think about things.

‘I have no thoughts’, was her reply. I decided not to go further down that road. The same one we’ve been on before where it ends up going around in circles with my endless suggestions being dismissed.

I do strongly believe that if you really want something, you will always find time for it. No matter what. Even if it happens to be for 15 minutes a day. Finding something to do other than school or work is important for our mental health as well as our physical health.

She asked if she could spend the night tomorrow night. ‘Of course’, I replied.

One reason she wanted to be here was because of the baby project. Seeing that she would be sleeping in the same room as her brother, it would help in case she happened not to awaken when the baby cried. That should be interesting, I thought. Hopefully that will alleviate the boredom a bit.

It’s impossible for anyone to be bored every second of their lives. It takes some creativity and willingness to discover what it is that will keep your interest long enough for you to be willing to put in the effort to yield results.

At one point, there was complete silence. And it went on for a long time. I wondered if the call ended. My phone was charging on a nearby table and thus was not next to me as I finished up the last few items for work. It was getting late and I had yet to make dinner for me and my son. I told my daughter I had to go. She did not seem happy about that. About my not staying on the phone as she worked on her homework. Then, after a faint and quick ‘Okay, bye’, she ended the FaceTime call.

It wasn’t about my having to get off the phone. Or about the silence. It was for her to learn to listen to her mind. To fill the void with her own thoughts. Unbored thoughts. To explore her world and find something which will challenge her.