was a phrase that caught my eye. It’s used in one of Anne Perry’s books, but what a phase! I conjures up all sorts of images in one’s mind. Without really knowing the author’s definition one can speculate as to what this looks like. Somehow I think a tediousness of spirit can be seen, even if the person who is living with it isn’t aware that it is.
To me, the phrase implies a neither hot nor cold existence. It’s a depth of spirit that focuses on the small, the insignificant rather than the important issues of life. Webster defines ‘tedious’ as: tiresome because of length or dullness; boring. Some of the synonyms are: drab, dreary, dull, stale, wearying – a perfectly terrible state to be in! The main reason for this is the lifelessness. I can think of nothing worse. Is this how you would describe your situation? If so, there is a remedy.
The relief in all this is that you can change your ‘condition’, you don’t have to stay tedious. It will take courage however, and risk will play a role but it has to be an improvement from lifeless. The grayness of life doesn’t have to be yours. So… how do you change? Again it’s one of those ‘each person has their own way out’ but I don’t think escape is the basis. The reason is that escape implies that you can get ‘caught’ again. And escape may or may not deal with the underlying reasons.
Moving from tedious to alive involves a willingness to not necessarily always be ‘safe’. Not that you look for danger but you also don’t hide in self protection. To be fully alive you need to be fully alert, fully involved in your life. Too often we hide because it’s easier than learning something new, meeting someone new. But a life without scraped knees is a life that doesn’t risk discovering all that life holds. Bottom line is that both tedious and alive are choices… yours?
