Wednesday 26 January 2011

Boredom, a Symptom of the Healthy


I am perhaps one of but a few individuals who are today content or even delighted to be experiencing boredom. Now that I am of the peripatetic persuasion, I have visualised and explored every inch of my hospital room and corridor. I have snooped, peered and busybodied as much as is possible within the realms of acceptability. I have knitted, played online scrabble, written, watched TV and browsed online shopping, exhausting all of my sedentary occupying activities, and all within two days of feeling alive. Of course I could excavate further to uncover more hidden activities for the supine me, but I am like a little child with a new toy, all other activities, except walking, now fall short. They no longer have the same power, influence or dynamism that they held in the past. Knitting as exciting as walking again, I think not. I now desperately desire to see beyond the corridor, to continue to test myself. The never-ending corridor, which 10 days ago I was wheeled down, is now too short, too safe, too mundane. This boredom is a new phenomenon. Who has time to be bored when they are ill? We are constantly busy frantically fighting against symptoms or stigmas. It is only once we begin on the return journey towards our norm that suddenly the challenges we once faced are now but minor obstacles. Boredom requires energy, composure and higher aspirations. Boredom is a symptom of the healthy.

7 comments:

  1. Every time I feel the symptoms of boredom I feel that I should be drawing, and then I just feel guilty.

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  2. Not for much longer, prepare yourself for a whirlwind of fun this afternoon xxxx SCE

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  3. Delighted to hear you are feeling better! Love from the Chernicks! xxx

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  4. I've never thought of it that way, but you're absolutely correct.

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  5. So pleased you now have the luxury of boredom. Looking forward to seeing you on your feet!

    Love from Auntie Aladdin x

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  6. Boredom is seriously underrated, I think. I'm sure many amazing discoveries were made by people who were simply so bored they had to let their mind wander...

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  7. Loved this post! After 20 years of chronic illness I long to be bored. When I say this people look at me as though I'm daft. They clearly don't get it. I feel guilty that I get so little done because of illness but I never feel bored... being sick is a full-time job with no rest time, no evenings or weekends off. Boredom is the privilege of those with spare time.

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