In Defense of ‘Being Boring’

In a world of exotic flavors, I’m what you’d call pretty vanilla. I’d choose a Friday night of Netflix over an evening out on the town. I prefer to keep my lunch menu pretty simple and consistent — usually a PB&J or ham sandwich. And only recently did I get my first new hairstyle since the late ’80s.

Like I said, some may consider me a Boring Betty. Go ahead, you can call me that if you’d like; I mean, after all, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before…

But here’s the thing: I’m perfectly OK with that. Really, really OK. Dare I even say…I’m actually happy with my supposedly ‘boring‘ life.

Allow me to explain.

I’ve long heard the chants from the Anti-Boring Camp. Now, I don’t begrudge them their lifestyle, of course, but wow! They sure are busy people — always running here or doing this or scheduling that. I often picture the old Batman TV show, where those action bubbles pop up on the screen during the nail-biting fight scenes.

POW. BOOM. ZAP.

Something is always going on, which is fine for some people. That’s just how they are, how they operate — maybe it’s built into their personality or DNA somehow?

I’ve never been like that, though. Well, at least not by choice, anyway. My life is decidedly smooth and steady — two adjectives that, I’ll admit, don’t exactly scream a “party-hopping, cruise-ship-boarding, paint-the-town-red” lifestyle. And, honestly, there was a time when I found myself being my own worst critic about it all. Am I doing something wrong? Has my “invitation” get lost in the mail? Have I misplaced my metaphorical dancing shoes?

I didn’t really know the answer to those questions. At least not right at first, anyway. It took awhile for it all to sink in, but I eventually realized that it all had to do with the grand scheme of timing. For the first 20 years of my life, everything was one busy activity after another. My life was consumed by medical stuff, and as I’m sure lots of you know, all that medical stuff can get really exhausting really quickly. I rarely felt like I had any time to catch my breath.

So it’s almost as if Adult Me is ready for some not-so-busy adventures. At long last. It’s SO refreshing to feel like I can finally wipe the calendar clean and sort of start over with a new chapter — one that I have more of a hand in writing and directing.

Besides, if you think about it, what’s really so wrong with ‘boring’? We tend to view the term in a very negative way. We may see people we perceive as boring and also think they’re unfulfilled in life or are feeling dissatisfied in some way. So we may pity them, as in, “Oh, they lead such a boring life. How sad.” Other times, we use their life as a cautionary tale, like, “Yikes! I mustn’t let that happen to me. That cannot be my downfall.” A boring life doesn’t mean a life completely devoid of fun and excitement, you know?

I encourage you to embrace your boring side. It’s not something to be ashamed of or something you desperately need to hide. If it’s your lifestyle of choice, own it proudly! At the very least, I urge you to be at one with it. Don’t be afraid and don’t try to run away from it. It’s not some monster under your bed and it’s must definitely NOT going to hurt you. I promise.

Are you comfortable being boring, friends? Or do you prefer to keep busy with lots of activities? Let’s chat, shall we? xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]