Sometimes my life is boring. Other times, it’s not. For example, right after Easter, my family and I spent some time at Disney World. As crazy as it sounds, you learn a lot about yourself at a place like that. In fact, we learn a lot about ourselves every time we operate outside what I like to call the “highway of normalcy.”
Sometimes that highway is cluttered with traffic. Other times it runs smoothly. But we don’t often spend much time operating outside of it. In fact, it usually happens only when things are going really well, or really badly, but it allows us to reflect on the rest of our life.
I remember hearing a story once about a man who walked from New York to California to raise awareness for a cause. When he reached the end of his journey, a reporter asked him about his greatest struggle. Was it the hills of West Virginia, the blistering heat of the plains, or the torrential rains of Colorado? No, the man answered. It was the small stone in his shoe that he just couldn’t seem to get rid of.
I wonder if the same thing isn’t true in life. I lead a blessed life. Sometimes I have a temporary memory lapse, though, every time I see the Powerball jackpot climb. I’ll buy a few tickets, promising God it won’t change me, then asking Him for a chance to prove it.
So, what does Disney World have to do with this? Well, I understand why they call it the “happiest place on earth.” Disney does a great job of keeping people happy, even though you’d think it would be an easy task. But, as lines grow and patience thins, people start to realize the “happiest place on earth” doesn’t come without its challenges. In fact, there’s no place this side of heaven where we get a free pass to peace.
“Outside the highway of normalcy” isn’t a bad place to be. In fact, I wouldn’t mind being there a little more often. But going there reminds me that there’s something to be said about simplicity, too. Life can be boring. But that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes my students talk about how “bored” they are. Teenagers get “bored” all the time. The funny thing about boredom, though, is that if we learn to master it, we can find a heck of a lot of peace.
During the few years I spent as a juvenile detective, one of the things I often asked kids after they got into trouble was, “Why did you do it?’ Many times they would answer, “Because I was bored.” Then they’d follow up by saying they wish they were bored now; that they’d take boredom over trouble.
Today, kids can’t stand being bored. And we adults feed that by keeping them busy every second of the day. No doubt, studies have shown that involved kids are better off. But just how involved they should be is the million dollar question.
Although life can be boring, what we do with our boredom speaks to who we are. When did being still suddenly become a vice?
I’m not the wisest person in the world. But I’m thankful when I can listen to the One who is, and I have learned that life can be satisfying when I’m content to live in peace amidst life’s dullness.
What if God uses that stillness to speak to us? What if the quiet of our lives is a rare opportunity to listen to the One who speaks in silence? Peace is as much a state of being as holiness. And as long as we tell our kids they have to travel somewhere to get it, they won’t find it.
We had a great time at Disney World. We hope to go back … after we recover in five years. But the “happiest place on earth” is only as happy as the people we take there. And the peace that lasts is meant to be found within the highway where we spend the most time.
Paul Stuligross is director of campus ministry at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Preparatory and is a former police officer.
