THE GIFT OF BOREDOM

When I was young and ran out of interesting things to do, I would yell out, “Mum!  I’m bored.”

She always had a ready answer.  “If you are bored it’s your own fault.  Go and find something to do.”

What a gift she gave me.

A few days ago someone asked me what I did with my time.  My answer was, “I go find adventures and if I can’t find one I will create one!” I laughed and then realised that, very succinctly, this snippet sums up my life in one sentence.

Perhaps I am ADHD.  I don’t know.  But I have always filled up my time somehow.  I always find something to do that interests me. I laugh at times because I think I am either full speed ahead – into whatever adventure takes my fancy and putting in 110%, or full stop – meditating, doing healing on myself or just sitting and thinking.

Since my brush with death a few years ago, I have certainly learned how to enjoy myself more and to take the gifts of life more fully into my heart and experience everything I can. My eyes are more wide open. I LOOK at everything more closely. I HEAR things more profoundly. I have given myself permission to FEEL more deeply. And I see not challenges any more, but ADVENTURES. in everything that comes my way.

For six months until Easter this year, I was fully immersed into running as an Independent for the Australian Senate.  It was a full on period where I met people I otherwise would not have met, visited places and went to events that I otherwise wouldn’t have, heard of issues and problems that helped me focus research or delve deeper to understand and expand my knowledge of human needs and it pushed me to get out of reticence and introduce myself in circumstances where usually I had just sat and waited. I gave myself permission to buy lovely clothes – including shoes and some outfits tailor made and in a style I love. I bought makeup and got myself professional photographs. I spent money on getting a fabulous new web-site. It was an amazing period of doing, being, going and thinking of ways I could be of service.

That period of time made me a better person. Then one day, at Easter, I woke up and the “calling” had completely left me. There was no interest, no energy….. nothing. Meditation gave me an answer of everything being okay, and my willingness to go into the Lion’s pit was what it was actually all about. And I could now go on and be of service in much more enjoyable ways.

So  – What’s next you ask..?

Recently I did some art.  I was absolutely delighted with what I did, even the one that was meant to have a symbolic sacred significance that ended up looking like a Ninja Koala.  So now I can put my brushes away.  I have been there done that.  Next..?

I came across a 91-year-old woman a few months ago and she was very excited to meet me and said I must come and have a chat over a cup of tea.  She was very enthusiastic and seemed to gravitate towards me with the eagerness of a child.  A few weeks ago I found her playing a Calliope – a steam run “piano” that used to be played in Carnivals as I remember as a child.

This one is very small and only has about 20 keys and the engineer who made the miniature is a stalwart in our town who manufacturers and invents things.  Instead of steam, he converted it to run on a vacuum cleaner.  So you just plug it in somewhere.

I heard the playing and ran to where it was and there were the two old friends having a wonderful time while she played the Calliope near the Mary Poppins Storybank museum and called out to people on the street. She asked me if I could play the piano.  I said, “I learnt as a child and could pick it up again I guess, but I love singing even more.”  She said, “Good.  I need an understudy.  I broke my arm last year and can’t go on much longer.”

What a hoot!  So yes, my next adventure will be to become Mary Whistler – the Calliope player who sits outside the Mary Poppins museum and goes to the Park, and plays, and sings and dresses up and has a lot of fun and brings smiles to people’s faces.  I can sing my heart out with no false humility and with great joy, because, after all, I will just be a character playing a role.

Someone found a costume for a character out of Mary Poppins that is no longer used, so I am getting that modified to wear, and will begin to practice the Calliope, and Voila!. Hopefully up and running for the Mary Poppins in the Park Festival at the end of August. Such a nicer role to play than politician.!!

A whole new adventure about to start.

Thanks Mum.