My love for being busy

I try not to say that I’m bored.  I don’t believe in this phrase: I’m bored.  I like to occupy myself with something to do, whether that be independently reading Wall Street Journal, playing tennis, learning math, or browsing through Instagram.  I love to be busy.

Yet last week, after getting out of school for summer break, I found myself feeling a little “bored.”  Of course I didn’t directly say that out loud, but I felt like I had a lot of free time on my hands.  These past few days I’ve been brainstorming ways in which I can find more purpose in my 3 month long summer break.  

First, I’ve officially began learning a little bit of Algebra 2 in preparation for high school.  I’ve been going chapter and section by section like I do in school.  I’m being slowly introduced to new topics and concepts, while keeping the math load light.  My hope–and purpose in working over the summer–is one, to make sure I don’t forget what I’ve covered in eighth grade, two, to make sure my academic mindset stays fresh and has an easier time returning to school, and three, to make sure that I continue to learn new things these next three months.

My dad also purchased the Arduino board, which is a kit designed to provide an introduction into electrical engineering.  He and I have been working together at night to explore the various projects. Here’s the story behind it:  Since a young age, I’ve been quite resistant to learning about coding/engineering/tech/social media etc.  I found little interest in the opportunities technology leveraged to promote more ergonomic lifestyles for humans. Simultaneously I remember wanting to be a policewoman in third grade, a writer in fourth to fifth grade, a professor from sixth to mid-seventh grade, and now, I’m interested in investing in the field of business.  In other words, as the years have gone by, I’ve been exposed to new things, the product being my perception of who I want to be are evolving alongside evidenced by my evolving sense of what I want to do when I grow up.  I’m beginning to see the importance of not resisting learning new things or change because having a bit of knowledge in another area can’t hurt, can it?  

This reminds me of a really good example my dad gave me a couple months ago.  He said I’ve always been obsessed with raspberries [meaning I have a box almost everyday;)] and for a while, that was the only fruit I ate…until I tried a mango a few summers ago.  I continue to eat my raspberries but now, I’ve found a new love; mangoes.  My introduction to electrical engineering is probably not going to be a career I’m interested in pursuing but it’s something I feel I still need to learn the basics, because electrical engineering especially, is a very applicable skill.  It’s like my mango.  

I’ve also been investing some time into fashion designing and stone art.  Last summer I became interested in fashion design and I’ve continued.  I like to think it keeps the creative juices flowing.  Stone art meanwhile, is something new I’ve been trying out.  I found some flattish black rocks in my backyard and have been decorating them with metallic paint-like markers and sharpies, then writing little messages on the back like be someone’s sunshine, or wisdom and kindness are better together, in other words, another form of inspiration.  I’m thinking about ways in which I can pull this idea together to make public art.  

Of course, I will still be blogging, playing tennis, reading different books and watching episodes of The Man in the High Castle on amazon prime.  So really, when I reflect on the different things I’m trying this accomplish this summer, I think I can still proudly say: I’m busy.  And if I find myself on the verge of saying I’m bored, I will remember that there are endless lists challenges, tasks, ways to entertain yourself, things to learn, books to read, and fun things to do in life that simply being bored just doesn’t qualify as being on that list.