Growing up, when I whined to my mother that I was bored, she used to tell me, "Boring people are bored and interesting people are interested." (And then she told me to go clean my room, of course.)
Actually, by the time I was 15, I understood this zen-like advice. I am cursed with a common writer's curse: I'm interested in everything. My mother, an artist, probably suffered the same way.
Being interested in everything causes me no end of problems. I should write about hawks! Aren't they fascinating? But first I should try glass blowing. I wish I knew more about electricity. I use it every day, and in 1787, Ben Franklin knew more about it than I do. We share a birthday. I should totally research him more. Oh, volunteer at my daughter's school for the Odyssey of the Mind project? Sign me up! It sounds so INTERESTING. Just like everything else.
So the crux of the problem of being interested in everything is to figure out how to stop myself from overcommitting to learning everything, volunteering for everything, and researching everything. It is finding the tipping point where a balanced life turns into a scattered life.
Does anyone have any tips on stopping themselves from exploring every interesting subject? I'd hate to cultivate boredom, but I'm running out of options and boredom is starting to sound heavenly.
-- Kate
Oh Kate, I am so with you on this. Luckily, I also have the curse of persistence, so once I get doing something I keep at it until I burn out (not always a good thing but it does help me stick with one thing for a long time).
ReplyDeleteFunny! You sound like my boys. They love to drink up the amazement of life. They would love to read a book about electricity and hawks.
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