Are you getting bored? Do you feel selfish saying it and feeling that way? Do you find yourself waking and asking what day it is and having to check the calendar to see? Are you still tired after eight hours of sleep? Do you long for the good old days that were not that long ago? Are you going nuts staying at home, working from home, or are you fitting into the changes? Are you working, retired, or just tired? Do you have pandemic fatigue?
We started isolation on March 19th. Well, actually it was the evening before. We cancelled birthday parties, movie dates, theater tickets and put a hold on most of our volunteer efforts. We made a list of things we wanted to do. Now, three months later, it does not seem like much fun anymore. The potential weight gain alone is a challenge so we have hopped on our bikes, are taking online exercise classes, and walking more to make up for that lost gym time. We take several walks a day and have found one central theme when seeing our many neighbors. Everyone is bored! You know that English language word – that of feeling tired and unhappy because something is not interesting or because you have nothing to do. Even Lucy got tired of the production line at the candy factory.
Our Aunt and Uncle in Maine, who are 89 and 90 years young, said that they were bored in the beginning but not so much now. They said that you get used to it and it isn’t so bad being bored sometimes. They are patient people, live their lives fully, and are always going somewhere, if safe to do so, with masks and gloves.
We think for some, being at home for what seems to be an endless weekend, especially if you are retired, has become a drag and even too much of a good thing. Remember how we learned many years ago that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, like too much candy or ice cream. If you are bored, you are not alone. The good news is that research suggests that highly intelligent people get bored easily.
After three months of distancing and isolation, it may be time for a new routine and a new attitude. It seems we have a long way to go with this pandemic. In other words, it may be time to say get over it and stop the whining! One way to do this is by remembering those people who are out there every day trying to take care of and right this country for us. Not only the nurses and other professional healthcare staff but those frontline workers in a number of professions who are making it possible for us to eat and still be merry in our homes. Some are the grocery, drug store, postal workers, etc. now standing behind plastic shields to protect us and themselves.
As we head to the grocery store, we anxiously don our masks and our gloves. We arrive home, sanitizer in hand, take a shower, and wash our clothes. The process is similar and reminiscent to that of getting dressed to go outside in a Nor’easter in New England. Like those snowstorms, we arrive back home and embrace the luxury of arriving home safely with food and TP in hand. We are always grateful that we got home safely. We have discovered, in our boredom during these three months, a respect for those who continue to do their work on a daily basis. Those workers will never be awarded the Medal of Honor or have a flag raised in their names.
Today, as we suffer a little boredom, how about we give it up for those who are not necessarily protected or are paid a lot but are the workforce on the front lines of this crazy war. Trump has pushed these workers to the front lines with no defense. “Be a warrior,” we hear him say. Most of those workers never signed up for this kind of duty but were instead drafted. Some have even lost their lives in the process. It is not unlike the Vietnam War all over again, right here at home, with deaths mounting daily because of a war that did not need to be.
We encourage you to express your gratitude to those you encounter working the front lines wherever they are. For they are carrying this virus and us on their backs. If you are reading this blog and you are one of those workers, we applaud you and we will be forever indebted to you. For those of us who are spending most of our time at home, if and when you feel a little boredom sinking in, picture the nurse, postal worker, or grocery clerk having to deal with that angry patient or customer. Often, customers swear at or threaten them and are not wearing masks but instead may be wearing a red cap. Be grateful for the luxury of being bored. We must remind ourselves that boredom, although wearisome, will not kill us.
