Plodding Along
My friend Paul stretching his back during a ride some years ago…
This is my day today.
Life can plod along, quietly stacking one day among the next in a relentless engine of eternity. Like an airline pilot describing the job as long periods of boredom interrupted by occasional moments of terror, so life seems today – the boring part.
Aside for a few minutes while shaving this morning I didn’t see anything stupid, weird or silly. Haven’t heard a joke, didn’t see anything slide along on the morning ice, the dogs didn’t do anything cute.
What does it mean?
Existential Boredom
I’m not living on the bleeding edge of life. No UFOs, lottery ticket winnings or coincidental run ins with Vespa riding celebrities (there are some). Just the drudgery fueled by too many long, cold sunshine free days. Sitting in a waiting room the headline under a magnificently chaotic graphic announces, “Multiple Tornadoes Hit Gulf Coast”.
That would be weird.
Choices have dwindled to a struggle to not pierce my eardrums to avoid the agonizing drone of a programmed music assault from the overhead speakers or closing my eyes and trying to sleep in a chair without drooling or falling on the floor.
That would be stupid.
Watching people exit from the medical cavern behind a smokey glass door the first thing they do is reach into their bags and pockets for their smartphones to record, announce or schedule another moment in medical paradise. I try to be grateful for having the opportunity to be here, to have a little plastic card giving me admittance to a privileged world of medical magic and chicanery. I consider announcing to the bored throngs how wonderful it is to be here.
That would be silly.
Epic Failure
In a world of consumption and personal goals and achievements I have failed, utterly, to live the good life. Instead I pound the keyboard and surrender my mind and soul to Calmly Writer. I’m on the boring train, traveling to Boredomtown, wishing something would happen but content to accept the comfortable embrace of absolutely nothing of interest happening – just a patient wait for stupid, weird or silly to come my way.
That would be life.
Not 100% sure Steve but I think lying down on the highway (in the dead of winter, dressed in motorcycle gear) might classify as all three; stupid, weird and silly, but then it looked like you were making your own kind of fun. Glad you aren’t sitting, waiting for fun to come your way – and you put a smile on my face with each photo.
Come to South Florida if you need stupid, weird and silly. You can experience all of them during a trip to the supermarket.
I’ve realized that one gets to a point in life where having little to do is a cherished time, unlike youth which feeds on near-constant action. Besides, boredom is a great starting point for creativity.
“Like an airline pilot describing the job as long periods of boredom interrupted by occasional moments of terror…”
I think a journalist famously described warfare just this way.
Perhaps it’s a side-effect of being born in a city like New York, but I tend to long for those “boring” stretches in time, those especially-elastic minutes where I can breathe slowly – not exactly vegetate, but let my mind expand luxuriously in the quiet of not a hell of a lot going on. Trust me, I have city compatriots not-so-quietly envying my sudden escape across the river.
THen too, I’ve been told I’m a hard person to bore. On the right day, I could possibly watch paint dry without going stir-crazy.
I’ve learned to tolerate, and at times relish, boredom.
The escape on the Vespa is sublime. People can see that on my face.
I’m getting that Vespa “escape” vibe more and more. I think Spring will be a true reveal for me.
With the arrival of warm weather I always feel an increase in riding desire. Escape on the road is a wonderful feeling.
SW: I see your boots have come back from their restoration. Are you having back trouble, I do that sphinx pose to stretch my back all the time.
They haven’t come back yet. Danner said it would take 8 weeks. That means the first week of March I should see them.
Life, even when it’s not particularly exciting, is good.
Here’s a stupid, weird, silly joke for you.
What orange and sounds like a parrot?
A carrot!
Hope all checked out well after your wait in the room.
That’s a work of rare perceptive comedy!
You could’ve slid along on the morning ice on the Vespa and that would’ve satisfied up to two of the categories. I’ll leave it to you to determine which ones…
Steve;
I can relate. I am grateful for sure, but again, I can relate.
Steel
Steve I think your blog is teaching me over time that true creativity requires looking at things very closely, eliminating as much as possible, simplifying, discarding, and then looking closely at what remains.
I try to be observant — while riding and in general. It’s easy to fall into autopilot and miss things. Writing, riding, blogging and photography all help open my eyes….