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.