I don’t mind repetition. In fact, a lot of good life is repetitive: walking the dog, making meals, showing up for work, checking in with people, paying attention, doing the next right thing. Repetition can build trust, skill, and steadiness.
What I struggle with is a different kind of boredom — the kind that shows up when I feel too far from meaning and too far from people.
In a previous role, I did a lot of regulatory work. The hours were long and the outcomes mattered. It was important work. The forms were important too. But after a while I felt like I was spending my life filling out forms for the government, and it drained me.
That taught me something. I can handle long hours. I can handle responsibility. I can handle doing the same thing again and again. But I need to be close enough to people to know them and connect with the real person, not just the process around them.
So when I feel bored in that deeper way, it usually isn’t because life is ordinary. It’s usually a sign that I’m too far from what gives me life: meaning, people, and helping something grow.
The Afterword 
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