Staying at a spectacular Airbnb in Bell, California, and I was getting bored. So I texted the owner Nancy for recommendations of things to do. I was expecting her to respond with hikes and restaurants, farmers market events activities. But here's exactly what Nancy texted me back. Josh, there's a bench outside by the edge of the fence on the oceans side by the big cypress. It's nice to just sit there and watch the surfers and the birds. It's a good reminder.
Boredom can be uncomfortable we wanna do something to avoid the feeling of doing nothing. Whenever I see people waiting in line at Starbucks, they're always scrolling on their phones. It's easier now than ever to avoid being bored. Infinitely scrolling on social media endless hours of entertainment on Netflix and Spotify, the problem. When we rely on tech to avoid feeling board, we undermine our sense of self as the authors of our own lives.
If you can't put down your phone, you don't have a phone. The phone has you. Nancy taught me that you don't need to constantly seek activities to occupy yourself. By simply sitting, and observing the surfers and the birds, you can begin to rewire your brain to find joy and peace in the every day. The switch, doing something, to doing nothing. Getting better at board is an undervalued skill I am definitely under construction in this area, but I wanna work on it. What about you?