Do you know the painter Caravaggio? He painted in what they call chiascurro, where inky dark tones give the highlights an intensely vivid, cinematic glow. Is this something like your life? Could you reframe the “boring” moments as the darks that give those moments that light up your life their true value? Contrast in life is so important. If we don’t have the lows how can we properly define the highs? I have been working hard in my life to embrace boredom. That means escaping the dopamine fix of a million apps. Goodbye insta, YouTube shorts, all of that. Goodbye picking up the phone as soon as I wake. Hello listening to the birds, to my thoughts, to drifting in and out of consciousness… to just existing and that being enough.

@justben Caravaggio definitely knows how to find harmony in contrast! The reasoning part of my brain knows I need rest and recharge time, but the emotional part constantly wants productivity; there’s always a repair to make, a project to work on, or a chore to do. Time feels so limited. I want to maximize the tasks that fulfill me creatively or socially, while also getting everything done that is mundane but necessary for my regular life. Exhausting my battery on joyless tasks feels like time is slipping through my fingers. I think there is some wisdom in your suggestion. Reframing the lows as necessary for the highs may reduce the feeling of them being wasteful of my finite life. I have a goal to use small bits of free time to work on creative writing, brainstorming, or sketching as alternatives to the saccharin dopamine of photo/video apps. However, I have become lax and haven’t been doing so. This is a good reminder. Thank you.