Get Bored

His final instructions to me were, “Go slow, and stay away from trees.”

I really didn’t plan to mow the entire two acres, but with our teenage mowers gone doing other things, I decided to help “knock the grass down” as my dad would say. 

Now this mower is a bit of a beast. Seriously. Bystanders need to keep their distance, and you almost need a license to drive it. I followed my husband’s instructions and started off slowly. I kept my distance from trees and buildings, and made sure to throw the grass away from anything that could be damaged. This mower is also very loud. We tried to find the earmuffs, but the boys must have “put them away” somewhere. Instead, I put in earbuds to try to cancel out some of the noise. They worked a little bit. In my usual habit of trying to do more than one thing at a time, I tried to listen to a Podcast while mowing. My sound quality was not good enough for Boys’ Lunch, so I couldn’t be another one of those listeners who mows their lawn and ponders Boys’ Lunch content. I tried one more link (because I was determined to do two things at once), and this time it was Father Mike Schmitz’s 9-minute talk on what boredom can teach us. 

Ironically, a talk on being bored awakened my senses. 

I found myself driving a little faster (sorry, Gabe) as I finished Father Mike's talk, and just sat on the mower and reflected. The constant hum of the mower was all I could hear with my earbuds in. It was peaceful.

Father Mike’s talk was the prelude to my next 45 minutes. To share one of Father Mike’s main points: we need to allow ourselves to be bored. What do we do when we have down time? We consume something. Many times we either get busy consuming information on our phones or we find something to eat. And the constant action in our phones never really allows us to just be free and find true leisure. Allowing ourselves to be bored allows for time to Create, Connect with others, and Cavort (have fun/dance around/do silly things).

Father Mike’s three C’s were a great reminder for me. How much more renewed and rested do I feel after I do something fun for the sake of doing something fun? What about the impromptu board game, impromptu phone call, and taking the long way to get somewhere (which I admittedly wasn’t so open to last week). 

Nearly all of us can say, “I’m so busy.” But how often do we allow ourselves to say, “I’m so bored.” And then do we allow ourselves to do something creative, connect with loved ones, or cavort? The next time I’m bored waiting in line at Meijer, I’m going to let my mind wander and see what the Lord places in it. Maybe instead of picking up my phone, I will think of those who need prayers, like Evie and her medical questions and for her complete healing. When have I ever felt smarter after scrolling Facebook? Or truly invigorated by emptying my inbox? 

I got off the mower and felt like I had been on vacation. The mindless mowing had allowed for the filling of thoughts in my head. My husband’s advice was good - Go slow and stay away from the trees. Even better was the time of being free to wander and wonder (but avoiding the low tree limbs).

This Father’s Day weekend, try to allow yourself to be bored and enjoy some true leisure doing creative things, connect with the special dads in your life, and do fun things just for the sake of doing something fun.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Keep leading your families. You have a very important vocation, and I’m grateful to you!