Sometimes I’m just bored with myself. You can only read so many books in a row by the same author, and only read the same book so many times in a row; why should that change when the author in question is you?
Mark Taimanov was a chess grandmaster and a concert pianist; he once said “People ask me how I can do both things. It’s easy--I take a break from chess and play the piano, and then I take a break from the piano and play chess. I have the easiest life in the world! All I ever do is take breaks!” He was oversimplifying of course, but there’s a lot to that. He went where the energy and fun was.
Thank you for your insightful observations, Emily🙏 You 'hit the nail on the head' with "Bored is not an identity"💖 I was bored 'to death' in school. I stopped going after 1 week, so I'm a grade 1 dropout!🙃 I returned the following semester and drank the KoolAid filled with all the shoulds, which I think was the source of boredom that followed me in life. Now in elderhood I've ditched the shoulds! Having said this, I also know boredom is underrated. Boredom is a brewing pot for my soul to gestate, and in those moments, I rest in the cauldron of boredom to watch what bubbles up.....
Look forward to reading what bubbles up for you....
Emily, I really want to leave a thoughtful, clear comment on what this piece has brought up for me. But the truth is, its already been a few days and I just know its going to take *at least* a few more weeks to fully process the absolute explosion of a confetti pop that is happening in my brain.
This is my third time revisiting this page and your words and the most coherent thing I have to say is, "wow. Wow. W O W... oh no" 🤣
This piece and your Thinking In Spreads piece have already given me so, so much to think about. In the best way. Thank you!!
Hahaha I love this so much. I bounce between poetry, essays, and podcasts. I keep telling myself I do all this for fun, so all that matters to me is that I put something out. This makes me feel much better about putting my podcast aside for a season 👌🏼
Oh my, have you been spying on me? First book of poetry in 2017. Lost poetry 2 years ago. I say lost because it was (is?) central to my identity. Fretted for far too long before discovering the joys of prose. Thanks for sharing that part of your story--well, all of it--because it’s given me excellent food for thought (also with the boredom) and inspiration, too!
Two thoughts this inspires:
Sometimes I’m just bored with myself. You can only read so many books in a row by the same author, and only read the same book so many times in a row; why should that change when the author in question is you?
Mark Taimanov was a chess grandmaster and a concert pianist; he once said “People ask me how I can do both things. It’s easy--I take a break from chess and play the piano, and then I take a break from the piano and play chess. I have the easiest life in the world! All I ever do is take breaks!” He was oversimplifying of course, but there’s a lot to that. He went where the energy and fun was.
Thank you for your insightful observations, Emily🙏 You 'hit the nail on the head' with "Bored is not an identity"💖 I was bored 'to death' in school. I stopped going after 1 week, so I'm a grade 1 dropout!🙃 I returned the following semester and drank the KoolAid filled with all the shoulds, which I think was the source of boredom that followed me in life. Now in elderhood I've ditched the shoulds! Having said this, I also know boredom is underrated. Boredom is a brewing pot for my soul to gestate, and in those moments, I rest in the cauldron of boredom to watch what bubbles up.....
Look forward to reading what bubbles up for you....
Emily, I really want to leave a thoughtful, clear comment on what this piece has brought up for me. But the truth is, its already been a few days and I just know its going to take *at least* a few more weeks to fully process the absolute explosion of a confetti pop that is happening in my brain.
This is my third time revisiting this page and your words and the most coherent thing I have to say is, "wow. Wow. W O W... oh no" 🤣
This piece and your Thinking In Spreads piece have already given me so, so much to think about. In the best way. Thank you!!
Hahaha I love this so much. I bounce between poetry, essays, and podcasts. I keep telling myself I do all this for fun, so all that matters to me is that I put something out. This makes me feel much better about putting my podcast aside for a season 👌🏼
Oh my, have you been spying on me? First book of poetry in 2017. Lost poetry 2 years ago. I say lost because it was (is?) central to my identity. Fretted for far too long before discovering the joys of prose. Thanks for sharing that part of your story--well, all of it--because it’s given me excellent food for thought (also with the boredom) and inspiration, too!