Perhaps Boredom is Not a Bad Thing

I was talking to my friend the other day, yet didn’t have much to say. “My life has gotten pretty boring, to tell you the truth,” I said to her. I had fallen into routine- I was working 35 hours per week, teaching 2 and (now mostly) 3-year-olds, alternated spending Shabbat with friends in Cambridge and family in Brighton, and went on occasional dates. 

“Maybe that’s not a bad thing,” my friend responded. After hanging up (and feeling slightly regretful that I didn’t have something more interesting to share), I thought about her comment. I’m pretty happy living with chill roommates and enjoy coming home to our large, spacious, and comfortable apartment. I feel fulfilled in my job and get along with my co-workers. It is very cold in Boston, but I feel needed and wanted all around. “Did you fast today?” My roommates ask me on the 10^th of the Hebrew month of Tevet, a “minor” fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem by ancient Babylonians. My roommates, though not observant, are in tune with my life and interested in my activities and my general well-being. That’s something I’d struggled with back in New York- finding roommates with whom I get along and have frequent disagreements.

So, I may have a boring life right now- and I hope to spice it up with the creation of an intentional community, with the beginning of a course this coming week that will eventually certify me as Head Teacher of my class, getting into a workout routine at a gym where I just paid membership. But after a few stressful months of moving and getting settled, maybe boring is what I need right now.