Why I Almost Never Get Bored: Living with Passion

Do you ever get bored?

A while ago I was visiting Yuki again. Our conversations always cover a bit of everything, which is of course because we have a glass of wine with them. Once the wine is flowing, conversation quickly starts jumping from one topic to the next. 😉 At some point I was telling her about my blog and how much I love working on it. It's an outlet for me, but more and more it's becoming a form of self-expression too. I enjoy writing the posts, designing the look of the blog itself, and, where it makes sense, creating a nice layout for individual posts. Lately I've also been busy (too busy) with the mini magazine I publish every Saturday on Substack, called SATURDAYS With Diana¹.

As you can imagine, all of this takes quite a bit of time. I barely get around to the other things I'd love to do: finishing the renovation of my house in Sicily, giving my place in Amsterdam a really thorough declutter, getting the secondhand clothes I bought ready to wear (hemming pants, moving buttons, maybe dyeing a few things, that sort of thing…). Even the everyday tidying and cleaning often falls through the cracks. I'd also like more time to improve my Italian and maybe pick up painting. And there are books I'd like to read.

I can't blame my blog and Substack for this, because I've always been this way. I've always had far too little time for everything I wanted to do. That's often frustrating, but at the same time I see it as something positive. What I'm about to say might sound a bit grand, but I experience it as a kind of powerful life force flowing through me, a passion. I didn't even realize it was a passion until Yuki responded to my enthusiasm about my blog by saying, "I wish I had a passion."

And that's the thing: from where I stand, it's so hard for me to relate. I simply can't imagine not having something you're fired up about. I say that without judgment. I just don't recognize it. A friend of mine once said, a few years ago, "When I wake up, sometimes I think, pfff… what am I going to come up with to do today?" She said she'll just stay in bed an hour longer, so the day at least won't be quite so long. Meanwhile, I often set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. and still run out of time.

I didn't respond to Yuki's comment about wishing she had a passion. I don't have an answer for it. For me it comes naturally, from within. I've always been someone who loves getting lost in things, even things that seem incredibly dull to other people. My best friend in high school used to laugh at me for doing math problems during lunch, just for fun. I simply enjoyed it, and I probably still would. (I sometimes buy secondhand math books, just in case I get the urge to practice.)

I was like this as a very small child, too. The only times I ever got bored were when I was sitting among adults chatting away and there was absolutely nothing for me to do. They would often hand me a sketchbook and a pencil, and I could happily keep myself busy for hours. And if that wasn't available, there was always a women's magazine or some other magazine lying around somewhere (this was long before the internet), and I'd make crafts out of it.

So boredom is a feeling that's largely foreign to me. I don't know where that comes from. I've wondered whether it's something physical, maybe hormones? Or is it more psychological? I was often on my own as a child, so maybe keeping yourself occupied is a skill you make your own over time? And maybe it even comes down to my horoscope or my house number? (That last one might actually be true, as you can read here!)

I promised Yuki we'd go to a museum together soon, and that I'd pick out an interesting exhibit. Maybe I'll tell you about it down the road.

Anyway, I'm curious how all of this is for you.

¹ The posts I publish on my blog reappear in SATURDAYS With Diana in a whole new context. On my blog, each post stands on its own, but in the magazine they fall under an overarching theme or central question that is explored not only through my posts but also through other people's articles, playful interludes, and relevant cultural expressions. Want to check out an issue? You can do that here.