Me bored? Never!

[Ray]

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.

Dorothy Parker

NOTE: There will be no Daily tomorrow. I will be leaving early in the morning to participate in a Veterans Day ceremony in another state. I should be able to publish a Daily on Friday. – Ray

~~~

As you know I spend a lot of time with many different people, they range from folks just entering the work force to those well beyond retirement age. What I find distressing is how many report that their lives are dull and uninteresting. Frequently I will hear complaints about everything under the sun as people rationalize their lack of enjoyment, they seem to believe that someone else has the responsibility to work magic and make them happy. Of course the truth is that it is up to each of us to find our own happiness and it will always elude those who concentrate on its absence versus those who won’t accept anything less than its active pursuit.

My friends are often surprised when something delays them from being on time for a meeting only to find me enjoying the wait when they do arrive. I am seldom bored as I always have something to occupy my time; it might be a book, magazine or the time to log some thoughts in the pocket notebook I always carry. I don’t profess to be a good role model but I will not feel bad about my inability to let time slip by, time that I can use for thought, relaxation and sometimes just recreational people watching.

The Happiness Queen, Gretchen Rubin wrote about boredom avoidance not too long ago. If you find yourself occasionally just hanging out you might use her tips to make the time more interesting. Here is her offering:

Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible.”

One “little thing” that can be a source of unhappiness is being stuck on an activity that’s boring.

The more you focus on your boredom, the more you amplify that feeling. Here are six tips to re-frame the moment; even if you can’t escape a situation, by re-framing your emotions about it, you can transform it.

-- Put the word “meditation” after the activity that’s boring you. (This is my invention.) If you’re impatient while waiting for the bus, tell yourself you’re doing “Bus waiting meditation.” If you’re standing in a slow line at the drugstore, you’re doing “Waiting in line meditation.” Just saying these words makes me feel very spiritual and high-minded and wise.

-– Dig in. As they say, if you can't get out of it, get into it. Diane Arbus wrote, “The Chinese have a theory that you pass through boredom into fascination and I think it’s true.” If something is boring for two minutes, do it for four minutes. If it’s still boring, do it for eight minutes, then sixteen, and so on. Eventually you discover that it’s not boring at all. If part of my research isn’t interesting to me — like the Dardanelles campaign for Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill — I read a whole book about it, and then it becomes absorbing. The same principle holds when doing boring or irritating tasks, like washing dishes.

-- Take the perspective of a journalist or scientist. Really study what’s around you. What are people wearing, what do the interiors of buildings look like, what noises do you hear? If you bring your analytical powers to bear, you can make almost anything interesting.

-- Find an area of refuge. Have a mental escape route planned. Think about something delightful or uplifting (not your to-do list!). Review photos of your kids on your phone (studies show that looking at photos of loved ones provides a big mood boost). Listen to an audiobook.

-- Look for a way to feel grateful. It's a lot better to be bored while waiting in a doctor's office than to be in an agony of suspense about your test results. It's more fun to sit around the breakfast table talking about dreams than to be away from home on a business trip. Maybe the other line at the drugstore is moving even more slowly. Etc.

-- Consider: "Am I the boring one?" La Rochefoucauld observed, "We always get bored with those whom we bore." I remind myself of this when I'm having a boring conversation with someone!

~~~

Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is.

Thomas Szasz

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In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some past actual label instructions on consumer goods:

On Sears hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping.

(Gee, that's the only time I have to work on my hair!)

On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.

(The shoplifter special!)

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert: Do not turn upside down. (printed on bottom of the box)

(Too late! You lose!)

On Nytol sleep aid: Warning: may cause drowsiness.

(One would hope!)

On a child’s superman costume: Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.

(That's right, destroy a universal childhood fantasy!)

~~~

Failure to complete any task within the allocated time and budget proves that the task was more difficult than expected and requires promotion for those in charge.

~~~

Redefining Words ......

1.Abdicate - v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

2.Carcinoma - n. A valley in California, notable for its heavy smog.

3.Esplanade - v., to attempt an explanation while drunk.

4.Negligent - adj., describes a condition in which you absent-mindedly answer the door in your nightie.

5.Lymph - v To walk with a lisp.

6.Gargoyle - n., an olive-flavored mouthwash.

7.Bustard - n., a very rude Metrobus driver.

8.Coffee - n., a person who is coughed upon.

9.Flatulence - n., the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.

10.Balderdash - n., a rapidly receding hairline.

11.Semantics - n., pranks conducted by young men studying for the priesthood, including such things as gluing the pages of the priest's prayer book together just before vespers.

12.Marionettes - n., residents of Washington D.C. who have been jerked around by the mayor.

13.Oyster - n., a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddish expressions.

~~~

A dress that zips up the back will bring a husband and wife together.

~~~

Little Johnny had bought Grandma a book for her birthday and wanted to write a suitable inscription. He racked his brain until suddenly he remembered that his father had a book with an inscription of which he was very proud, so Johnny decided to use it.

You can imagine Grandma's surprise when she opened her book, a Bible, and found neatly inscribed the following phrase: "To Grandma, with the compliments of the author."

~~~

Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!

~~~

More signs of the times

Plumbing Truck: "We repair what your husband fixed."

Pizza shop slogan: "7 days without pizza makes one Weak."

At a tire shop in Milwaukee: "Invite us to your next blowout."

Door of a plastic surgeons office: "Hello, can we pick your nose?"

Sign at the psychic's Hotline: "Don't call us, we'll call you."

At a Towing Company: "We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."

~~~

When people are bored, it is primarily with their own selves that they are bored.

Eric Hoffer

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

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