Back in my early 20s, I thought Perth was terribly boring. I was always on the lookout for a way to 'escape' - a quick weekend trip to Jakarta for some partying with friends, relocating abroad to work for a few years, night after night out and always doing something, anything, to break the boredom.
Once I had spent the better part of a decade out of Perth I came back to realise how lovely it is. And now that we've been having population boosts and a steady influx of new niche restaurants and cafes and designer stores, it makes me miss the sleepy old Perth I grew to love. I don't want the extra traffic, I don't want Krispy Kreme on my doorstep, I want the slow, steady pace I have become accustomed to. Perth was never boring, I was just too lazy to look right in front of me and instead was on the lookout for something sparkly to grab my attention.
When I hear people say they're bored I giggle to myself. "You're not bored, you're BORING" I want to say! Of course I don't, I wouldn't call someone boring, that'd be plain nasty. But think about it. I can be sitting at home with my boys doing a whole lot of not much and have THE BEST DAY. No agenda. A spot of gardening, bake a cake, catch up on some reading - that to me is exciting. I am sure those ideas would bore the tears out of 21 year old me, but hey, what did I know back then! I wasn't bored, I was boring. And I made little attempt to find joy in the small things, instead always on the lookout for something exciting and noisy and rambunctious and distracting enough to keep me from feeling bored. My Mum and I laugh about the time she once asked me to head outside and enjoy the beautiful sunny day in the garden with her. My response was "I can think of a million better things to do than gardening." I bet I sat around feeling bored instead. I had no idea a day in the sun, enjoying the fresh air with my Mum would bring so much joy. I do now. But like I said, what did I know back then.
When I eventually started to realise that life is what you make of it, I started to allow myself to enjoy the small moments. I talk a lot about the small moments, I think our days are made up of millions of very significant but small moments. The moments that can take your breath away, if you let them. The moments where a single smile or the kind gesture of another can truly make your day. I don't need non-stop trips and working on a cruise ship to excite me anymore, I don't need the restaurants that celebs frequent, I don't need to be out partying until the sun comes up, I need nothing more than what I have in front of me.
And that is how I see my days. Full of beautiful, love-filled small moments.
I've got goose bumps Peggy. You did that.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vanessa, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt really irks me to see/hear people moaning about Perth being Dullsville etc.
I have never been bored here in this beautiful city - and I've missed our stunning coastline incredibly any time I've travelled.
There is plenty to do/see/enjoy here if you are open to it.
Half the time it's frame of mind and appreciating the 'who' as well as the 'where.
I always think 'if you want beautiful/stimulating/positive company - BE beautiful/stimulating/positive company'.
gorgeous post.
:-) xx
Same Shar, SAME! My first thought is always "well, you could always move!" Which is what I did when I was younger, I moved about thinking Perth was boring. But the boredom I felt here was the same boredom I felt in various places when I was travelling or when I lived abroad - same boredom, different place. Boredom is just a lack of creativity in my opinion.
DeleteI absolutely agree with you, well said! xo (I love 'if you want beautiful/stimulating/positive company - BE beautiful/stimulating/positive company'. Brilliant!)
Love this Peggy. When I was little, my parents would ALWAYS remind me that I had no reason to be bored... because as a child, I often whined about being bored. They would then rattle off at least a dozen things I could be doing, all of which were actually quite fascinating and wonderful things (not that I'd admit that back then).
ReplyDeleteI love what this teaching has instilled in me. I refuse to be 'bored' now I'm an adult and to be honest, I could never be bored anyway, for me there just aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do anyway.
A wonderful way to look at life Peggy, as you so often successfully do xoxo
Thank you Julie. I agree, there aren't enough hours in the day in my opinion! I roll into bed at some ungodly hour wondering where the day went. When you realise how the small moments can bring so much joy you just want to fill your day with them. :)
DeleteLovely thoughts. It's the small things in life that, once notced, really make you feel alive. Thanks for sharng. This is one reason I am starting my blog. To try and keep a record of those little things.
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