Uninspired?

Uninspired?

Doubtless, many of us, if not all, have had the experience of beginning a day (or even a period of life) with the lackluster sense of having no inspiration about the routine facing us. 

 It is one more day of doing something that is just pretty tedious. There is no challenge, no excitement, and no fulfillment on the horizon at all.  Sometimes the time window involved can be shockingly long.

Years ago, I worked with a fellow who shared with me a startling personal observation.  He had been employed for thirteen years doing a particular job and had never enjoyed a day of it.  At the time, I found that troubling. I still do.  I do not like the idea of feeling trapped in a role that brings no sense of fulfillment at all.  It is a painful thought to consider that one might be engaged so long in such a manner as my friend.  Yet, I suspect that it is not all that rare.

Do you know someone that gets up each day and simply plods though the process because they feel that is their only option?  It sounds kind of bleak, does it not?  Is there nothing one could do about it?  I have known people who “live for the weekend” as a way of coping.  They endure the tedium and see Friday as an escape window.  For the next two days, they try to cram all the living into forty-eight hours that they can and then it is Monday again.  This may be better than nothing, but not much. 

I wonder if it would be better to consider other options.  What if we looked for ways to make our life count throughout the week?  Be a part of some group or activity that brings vitality to our routine.   What is we took a class that was completely impractical?  Classes that are not job related, but allow us to paint a picture, read a book or explore a hobby? What if we joined a club or civic group that allowed us to experience fulfillment and friendship on a regular basis?   What if we volunteered for a service project or a mission trip that called us out of our routine and allowed us to experience something radically fresh?   

I have found that inspiration comes not from routine, but from the extraordinary in life.  Often engaging the extraordinary requires us to leave our rut and dare to do something different.  Just a thought.