“I’m bored.”

Do you see/hear that one much in your social media circles?  It’s clear, concise, and pathetic. It’s shorter than 140 characters, so it is ubitwitous (Twitter ubiquitous).  And yet, it is usually not directed at anyone. Just a statement of fact. Indisputable, or at least I won’t try to dispute it. And as exit lines go, it’s a good one.  See ya!

[And to immunize you against possible contamination from this missive, I'll add that I'm fully engaged at this moment. All cylinders firing. You too? A late afternoon @bardcoffee latte is still coursing through my veins. And life is good :) . ]

But back to boredom.  Didn’t we go to college — as every dean of students at every college  puts it at least once in four years — “to make sure our minds are an interesting place to be”?  And even if we didn’t go to college, hasn’t life’s experiences evolved the patterns of our lives into fertile endeavors, one way or another?

So instead of noting the absence of anything in your mind, maybe its time to daydream a little? Design a woodworking project? Or a menu? Think up a murder mystery? Fantasize about a radical career move? Or even to allow your mind to wander down the primrose path of dalliance and “go blue” — as Ann Arborites are apt to say, though not necessarily in this context.

I’m bored has a passive-aggressive cousin,  I hope I’m not boring you? Whether or not your conversation is engaging, you just did manage to bore me by asking. So the answer is yes, but I won’t admit it.

Rather, since no emotion is as insidiously infectious as boredom, I will fight it with every synapse of my mental strength. I’ll  spin up all of what I know about, well, the wall, the floor, the table, the cement sidewalk, the asphalt street — anything. I’ll grind the existential ‘now’ into a buckshot load of questions. Then I’ll pepper you with them. In the ensuing confusion, I’ll hoist myself out of the boring hole and — with or without finesse — I’ll keep on going out of your company.

So for gosh and gollies sakes, don’t tell me you’re bored since it only means one thing to me: you’re boring!

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The ‘S’ in Cascokid is for sanctimonious. ;-P

The ‘kid’ in Cascokid is for kidding. ;-)