Sunday, November 27, 2011

No Yawning

The best way to live is by not knowing what will happen to you by the end of the day.

Daniel Barthelme
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Hello Jen
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Someone recently remarked that my life is not boring. How can a man who lives alone, in an attic apartment, in a small and quiet town, with no family, no pets and hardly any visitors not live a boring life? How can that be, especially since he spent his working life in the entertainment business, as an actor, one of the most interesting, exciting and action filled professions there is and one which is never boring? Why isn't he bored to a perpetual yawn now?

I have known people in my days who were expert at planning out their lives so well that they knew where they would be at any minute during the day. They would keep to strict schedules, were dependably prompt and never deviated from the discipline of their lives. That's a noble way to live, I suppose, but it doesn't allow for much improvisation, adventure or whimsy. And when carried to an extreme it tends to invoke rules for buttoning shirts and tying shoes.

"I always do my laundry at 11 Saturday morning."
"Why not do it Friday night instead?"
"Oh no, Friday night is my time for doing the crossword puzzle."

It gets ridiculous. Some people will tell you that if they didn't carefully plan out the day little would ever get done, and I agree with that. Any serious actor knows time must be set aside for memorizing lines and developing the script. When rehearsal and performance times come the actor must be there and ready to work. But if it weren't for the freedom of expression and imagination, the unexpected moments of creativity, the bright light of inspiration that suddenly flicks on, the actors performance would be boring. The arts when properly done are never boring.

So why aren't I bored? Why isn't my life boring? Although I like a good healthy yawn now and then, I'm not an authority on boredom. My life in theatre taught me curiosity, imagination and, best of all, enthusiasm. It also taught me to respect the unexpected.

When the stranger wanders into your life, when the door you always go through is suddenly locked and when the steady rhythms of your day become syncopated smile, boredom has just fled out the window like an escaping racoon.

If you can embrace with enthusiasm the ever new, ever changing story of your life it can only get better.

Dana B - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
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6 comments:

Big Mark 243 said...

Hmmm... we agree to disagree in construction but not in principle...

I enjoy my solitude and right now I am really trying to cherish these moments that I have alone. See for me, having traveled and lived a life of 'sex and danger', I have always yearned for things to be measured and in control.

Right now I can see the day where my life is in a pattern... thing is, it will be a pattern of my choosing and it would be indistinct as a routine...

My pattern is the unfathomable... as long as I am achieving that goal, all can be revealed because in fact, nothing is..!

Beth said...

I suppose I have my little patterns and routines, but I don't adhere to them rigidly. Besides, you know my motto: Boredom is not an option! I also like "Only boring people get bored."

With all the amazing things in this world--and all the books to read!--I really don't know how anyone can get bored. That is just not in my realm of understanding.

Ken Riches said...

Planning has its place, but there must be some flexibility and spontaneity as well. The spice of life.

Dannelle said...

No boredom here! Always have something up my sleeve- projects, cooking, reading, etc. etc. Only the hum drums are boring so I mix them up! Dr. Hummus mixes a hum rum approved by DS (that could be me)-

pacifica62 said...

Rigid schedules offer no opportunity for spontanaiety, but some people thrive on them. I retired a few months ago and the exhileration about not having to go to work has finally waned and I find myself asking "now what?". I admit a sense of boredom has crept into my life of late and I know that I need to break through this stage and get to wherever it is that I am going in my life.

Rose said...

I do get bored sometimes.

Widowhood changes your entire life.