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Nate Bargatze has a very funny sketch about how long the day feels when you wake up at 5:45 a.m. Funny, right? Well, try starting your day at before 1a.m. – not quite so amusing then! If you’re curious, here’s the clip from Nate 👉 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRM1dfqF_cl/?igsh=MTRkcDU3ZGJ6OTVkdQ==
When you’re awake for most of the day, you have a lot of time to fill – and with that comes restlessness and boredom. It’s understandable: after years of a demanding job and constant travel, and being busy all the time, suddenly being homebound, unable to drive, is a shock. The real danger? That boredom can so easily turn into depression. And I won’t pretend – it’s proving not so easy to head off.
So, what do I do with all that time? TV doesn’t appeal to me most of time. Reading is hard on the eyes. Seeing people is lovely but some of the time I am truly not in the mood, I get tired very quickly (although I can’t seem to sleep or nap as much as I’d like) and Going out feels risky given the number of recent incidents of freezing/powerdowns. For me, writing has filled the gap. Despite vision challenges, touch typing and good dictation skills have been lifesavers. I’ve written blogs, posts, and now – books.
My first two books were deeply connected to PSP: the first about faith in the face of PSP and the second about PSP itself. But this time, I wanted something different – something humorous and absolutely not about PSP. I revisited a couple of old blogs I wrote about my adventures as a “Kosher” traveller and ended up with more than forty stories that made me and a few friends and family laugh out loud. Think eating curry with a shoehorn or cooking a burger in a trouser press—objectively funny moments from a long career. Writing them was a joy, a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I’ve now turned them into a draft manuscript.
The manuscript is with a professional editor – a friend from university who’s brilliant at her craft. Here’s the hard part: waiting. Combine PSP with my natural impatience, and you’ve got a recipe for frustration you simply can’t imagine. I’d have published it immediately after finishing it a couple of days ago, but I want this done properly. I think it is in good shape but it needs tightening and is very different from my previous ones.
Writing isn’t my only escape. Chess helps. So does exercise – five sessions a week plus daily routines at home. And recently, a new game: Splendor. I won the first two rounds against my sixteen-year-old daughter (beginner’s luck!), but she’s now on a winning streak. Still, it’s fun – and that’s what matters.
The important point? I need purpose, meaning, and things I enjoy to fill these increasingly long hours. Right now, writing works – even at 3:12 a.m., when I find it hard to see the screen but my typing speed is solid. I have plenty of good memories, so reminiscing isn’t hard. But just “being” is tough. Waiting is tough. And staying productive feels essential. I truly don’t know how I’ll cope when I lose these skills – but others have walked this road before, and I’m sure I’ll adapt.
What do you do to fight boredom and find purpose? I’d love to hear your ideas. And any tips on how to win at Splendor would be appreciated.
In the end I don’t want to just pass time – I want it to count and it to have quality.
