Too Industrious to be Bored

As some of you know, I have been “taking September off” from the job search.  Such a move might cause some to wonder, “now what could you be doing with all that free time?  Don’t you get tired of it?”  All this free time  off has indeed prompted me to think about busyness, boredom and industry. 

Granted, I have had moments in which I wondered what I should do but I am blessed to say that I never been “bored.”  Much of this has to do with the rich childhood my parents gave me.  They always thought it was important to cultivate more than mere academics in their kids.  My mom used to say that “bored people are boring people.”  I think there is truth to that.  I think bored people are boring because they are unaware (or worse, apathetic towards) the myriad of interesting and useful pursuits….reading, hiking, sewing, woodworking, bug collecting, gardening, visiting shut-ins, target-practice, photography, pets…the list can be quite endless. 

It seems to me that in many ways boredom is just culturally accepted apathy.  A wonder-less existence.  A world in which a mind is not curious about the unknown nor adventurous enough to dip their toes into it.  I am certain the causes of such ignorance and/or indifference are multi-faceted, with many hypothesis purposed regarding them and about which numerous books have been written.   All of this however, goes beyond the scope of this little blog post.   

I am thankful that my parents encouraged each of us kids to pursue interesting and new industries (aka hobbies).  They didn’t do it to keep us “out of the way.”  On the contrary, some of our hobbyist pursuits may have meant that we were more messy and in the way than had we languished away quietly in boredom.   My parents also did not encourage industry as a way to just keep us “busy.”  In my mind there is a difference between busyness and industriousness (notice how carefully I picked out the title of this blog post… I could have said “too busy to be bored” but I intentionally didn’t).  Busyness to me, implies some degree of fluster; an exertion that may include but perhaps more often does not include purpose, value or edification to anyone. Industriousness on the other hand, signifies activity with purpose, value and edification. 

Fewer things are sadder to me than a “bored” adult.   Because of the heritage of industry planted in me as a child, I am happy to say that as an adult I have reaped some of the delightful harvest of finding many things interesting.  While I may be an “educated” collage graduate in my twenties with extra time on my hands, I am never bored.  On the contrary, my time off has invigorated and enlivened my interests so that I am trying things I never really considered before…like woodworking for example.  (Stay tuned for future posts about these endeavors). 

 Hobbies and industry….

…are a diminishing practice

…cause people to think critically

…may be messy

…take time

…are enriching

…transforms you from the Sad Soul with whom a person can only talk to for a 1 minute at a party into the Flourishing Soul with whom people can willingly talk to for 30 minutes or more- because you interesting

…are moments never wasted!

 What are your thoughts about boredom and hobbies? What do YOU do to be industrious?!