BOREDOM is a CATALYST

i have always been intrigued by boredom. today i was with two 4 year olds and they claimed to be bored. i asked them what they wanted and that is where magic began. so often we turn to the TV, Video games, things OUTSIDE ourselves to entertain us, that we have forgotten our own innate possibilities. i know for me, when i feel "bored" i am missing a part of accessing something within myself. do i want to distract or feel? what is so wrong with feeling bored? in a way, it is a catalyst for me to begin to feel what it is i DO WANT to feel. it is a way of accessing more within myself- so it s not wrong or bad. it reminds me of my daughter on the airplane saying " i am bored" we were on a long flight and i could relate/empathize with her boredom of just "sitting there"- however when i shared with her that i was bored too...and maybe we could create something together her eyes lit up.
what was bored became an opportunity. this is why i teach play. for it is not childs play. boredom is not a childs word. i see it all the time. clients who come to me saying "i am just bored with my life- i do the same thing day to day, and i am just stuck and bored" and i say GREAT!!!!! cool place to be in. now what.
now what? what we DO with this feeling is what play is all about. two 4 years olds decided to play roller coaster with a laundry basket for almost 40 minutes. no other external "means" were needed. the interesting part is most people feel they just "dont have that" but i disagree. we have just been conditioned to fall back into OUTER means to "save us from our boredom"- yet do they encourage empowerment? do they encourage SELF reliance. it may sound harsh but when my daughter is bored i do not give her a TV show, i allow her to BE in it. i allow myself to BE in it. it feels uncomfy at first and then inspiration arises because i do not have distractions to veer me from FEELING it. i start writing or i realize i have more energy then i realize and i start moving my body, or whatever feels good in the moment.
as parents, too often we forget to just FEEL. we are so concerned in feeling it. we distract. and we teach our children to distract. whether we are parents or not, we have been conditioned to run from just being. just being may seem or feel boring but this space can be the catalyst for something magical to emerge. if only we would allow ourselves to feel it. i have been blessed to witness children and adults use their boredom as means for change. make mountains out of nothing and learn something NEW about life and themselves. it is a perspective.......when we feel bored it is a calling to notice. it is a calling to make choices.
to distract or create? how do you want to play?