The Magic of Boredom

When I was 12 and my brother was 16, my parents decided to move our family out of the suburbs and into the country. We said goodbye to television reception, which was an enormously big deal to my brother and I as we had become dependent on its entertainment—especially MTV, which we watched incessantly. To this day whenever I hear a song from the 80’s, I immediately see the video playing in my head.

The morning after we moved, I remember my brother desperately adjusting the antenna of a tiny portable television—hoping to find a signal so that we’d have something to watch while eating breakfast. After a few too many chaotic movements, the antenna broke off in his hand. He closed his eyes and sighed as we both wondered what in the world we were going to do with our time. 

For a while, we could feel every minute trudging slowly by. Days that used to go by quickly, now seemed to stretch endlessly on with nothing to entertain us but the sound of the wind blowing in the trees and the birds chirping. 

It took a month or two to learn how to live in the quiet—to let boredom do its magic.

Boredom—it’s like an alarm clock for creativity, forcing the mind awake in a way that activity can’t. It makes you look around with new vision because suddenly you need to see.

I had always loved to draw but thanks to the forced slow-down of living in the country, I spent more time creating than ever before. I went for walks, wrote poetry, and began doing my homework outside under the trees until it was too dark to read. I noticed the stars.

Some seasons are packed with activity and it would be nearly impossible to slow down. Others are slower than we’d choose. God uses all of it.

Blessings to you this week,

 ~Amy