Bored?

Occasionally I'm asked what I do when I'm bored. Bored? I'm familiar with the textbook definition of the word, but I have no direct experience. I've never been bored. Ever. For as long as I can remember, I've always had something to do.

On rare occasion I may have a moment of indecision about what to do with a bit of free time, but this never lasts for more than a few seconds; I have no difficulty filling the hours of my day, regardless of whether or not there's something I must do, such as work.

This is not to say that I'm productive 100% of my waking hours; not only would it be impractical, it's not even recommended. One needs to have some "down time" to decompress or regroup, particularly after stressful events. Following this line of thought, though, it's entirely possible to define non-productive time as still having purpose.

If by "What do you do when you're bored" you really mean, "What do you do when you're non-productive," I can answer that. Most often I will "veg" by watching a film. But even then, I'm quite likely to be mentally reviewing the film while I'm watching it; I have a little film critic in the back of my head, and it's not uncommon that I might jot down some notes afterwards. For some time now I've been tempted to create a film review website. And so, even when I'm deliberately being non-productive, deep down I'm not completely non-productive.

When I hear someone remark, "I'm bored," I actually feel a little sad. With so many things the universe has to offer in the way of activities—possibly close to an infinite number—how can any intelligent, sentient being fail to find something if not useful then at least interesting to do?

I suppose that, since I've never been bored, I simply cannot identify with someone who is. There's a theory that people who are prone to being bored are also boring, which may explain why I don't hang around such folk—I've got better things to do with my time. And isn't that a familiar old phrase?

Indeed, that's been a running theme of my life: always having something better to do. I'll fully confess to having squandered years of time on dead-end pursuits, but realizing this is often only ever achieved in hindsight. For me, trying and failing is far more worthwhile than simply doing nothing; the School of Hard Knocks provides one of the most practical educations you could hope to find anywhere.

As for my hobby, well, that should read "hobbies." Model railroading is but one of many. There's also photography, studying film (in an alternate universe I'm a film producer), writing, music, learning about science and technology, cooking, home improvement—the list goes on. I've never been afraid to try new things and learn new skills, so the list will likely continue to grow.

The day I stop doing, learning, trying is the day I die.