“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” Henry David Thoreau

In a world with so many options available to entertain us, it seems almost impossible that anyone might use that phrase. When I was raising my family, I dreaded hearing those words, “I’m bored.” As the generation gap seems to be widening, I wonder if all the latest technology isn’t making us bored. I look back at all the things which make our lives so much easier now. Maybe that causes us to have too much time on our hands. Looking ahead to a future with AI doing my thinking for me, makes me wonder why I’m still here. It also makes me wonder when Jesus will return.

When I became an octogenarian, boredom snuck into my life. With the additional malady of aging and being told to slow down, my free time was outweighing my physical activity. It became easier to stay at home rather than venturing out beyond my own front door.  It became an excuse of sorts for being lazy or uninvolved.  When we isolate ourselves, we miss out on so much that could really be making our lives anything but boring.

Our children, our grandchildren and even old fogies like me, are glued to our phones or tablets. It’s apparent that we’ve become creatures of habit and are trying to fill our lives with something that’s missing.  How can we become such slaves to an electronic device? I’m as guilty as my grandchildren on this one.  In a way, our social media becomes a safety net.  We can enjoy conversations with others, without making eye contact.  We can get a glimpse of someone else’s vacation time or amazing lifestyle without having to board a plane or spend a buck.  We can play games – see what we’d look like with a certain style of glasses, make-up or clothing.  We can get medical advice without going to a doctor- enjoy fine art, delicious recipes, order anything we want and have it delivered at no charge.  Basically, we are becoming cocooned in our own environment. No wonder we’re bored!

So, what’s the solution to boredom?  Involve yourself in something that takes you outside of yourself.  By focusing on someone else and their needs, our own lives with fill with purpose and value. Help someone weed their garden and actually have a face-to-face conversation.  Take a meal to a homebound person and offer help with something else while you’re there.  Babysit for a neighbor who’s feeling trapped and do it for nothing.  Get a job!  Take up a hobby that gets you outside – golf, swimming, walking, plein air painting.  Get together with your friends, rather than communicating online.

There are hundreds of ways to volunteer your time to help someone else, but if you are physically incapable, think of ways you can use your talents – to encourage, to sit with someone, to get them out of their box and back into the world. If we become dependent on electronics to live our lives for us, we may be thinking Orwellian.  Instead, turn to God for solutions. He wrote the book on “How to Overcome Boredom.”

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!