The Joy in The Mundane
It’s been a while since I wrote on Medium. Well, you can say I was MIA (Missing In Action) to save the world (just kidding! but it’s ok if you want to say it that way, let’s just say I am saving my own world lol). Anyway, that does not matter. What matters is I am back here and I am writing this on top of a bed at a hotel in Jakarta. Yes, I am currently working from anywhere so my schedule is quite flexible. After reading that sentence, you might think, “Wahh so nice, I would love that too.” I mean yes it is nice, you can travel wherever you want while earning. However, this is life. The truth is, not everything you see is as good as it seems. No, I am not complaining about my life right now. It is an extremely sweet spot for me and I am grateful for this opportunity. But as I said earlier, this is life. So, what’s with it? Keep on reading and you’ll know. :)
These past 2 months, I got to work from home or anywhere. During the first month of working, I just stayed in my city while working from “an office space” that my childhood English teacher (This one is quite a story, I might write in another writing ;)) provided with her former student who’s also WFH. She has been working from home for quite a while (more than a year), then I asked her, “Have you ever felt bored?” I just blurted out the question to her because I started feeling bored even though it hasn’t been one month yet since I’ve been working from home. “Of course I have, but Chaterine, that’s the point. You have to be friends with boredom.” She answered calmly. “What do you mean? Can you please elaborate?” I asked, curious. “You see, that’s the thing about adulting. After graduation, there’s no structure that we have to follow, you can choose to work, take a gap year, continue with a master's, or anything, really. There is no fixed structure, you have to choose your own path. However, we need to know that even if we have goals, the road to achieving them is also not short. We have to deal with this ‘boring’ stuff to finally reach a destination. We have to be consistent and do these mundane tasks which might seem like forever. But that’s okay. Find joy in the mundane. Master it. Enjoy the boredom. Thus, you will start appreciating the things around you and what you have.” After listening to her, I couldn’t utter anything. I understood very well what she was saying. The joy in the mundane. That phrase kept on playing inside my mind. Same as many young adults, I also want to try and pursue everything which ignites my interests. I love novelty. However, most of the time, I realise I need to focus more on important things rather than imagine or overthink small things. I need to pause and enjoy the present moment while befriending the boredom. It’s okay to be bored, not everything has to be new and fun. It’s okay to just enjoy your morning mineral water every day while working on things that maybe society deems uncool. It’s okay to just simply be you and be average. It’s okay. Now, I am off to catch my flight and attend my horse-riding lesson this Saturday ;) HAHA OOPS! Still, let’s embrace the boredom and enjoy this adulting process!
— chaterinewrites
