As my 'once vibrant' father sits withering away with Alzheimer's and dementia, unable to dress himself, eat properly or even turn on the TV, I am reminded of all the people who have ever told me they were bored. Really? Boredom in any able bodied person with a sound mind is a sin. Damn it. Read a book. Go for a walk. Visit a friend. Learn to dance. Buy groceries for a senior. Paint a picture. Change the batteries in your smoke detector. Perform a random act of kindness. Have your prostate checked. Find a hobby. Adopt a cat. Count the stars. Plan a project with your kids. Set an impossible goal. And then achieve it. Check your tire pressure. Make someone feel beautiful. Write a letter. Plan a trip to a destination on your bucket list. Master a musical instrument. Ask someone how to say 'I love you' in their native language. Laugh easily and often. Pick a wall in your home and paint it scarlet. Make eye contact with a stranger and nod knowingly. Visit a restaurant you've never been to and tell the server to 'Surprise me'. Have your mom teach you how to knit, then make a pair of gloves for a homeless person. Look at the glass as half full. Hug someone who needs it. And someone who doesn't. Make bread. Strike up a conversation with a stranger. Run. Blow bubbles. Watch a storm. Get a tattoo. Compliment someone on a job well done. Or do none of the above. But find a passion, large or small and pursue it. Think when you don't have to. Breathe just to feel your body respond and live because you can. And never, ever be bored.
DC Hooke
August 23, 2014
