I have a question: can you (i.e., someone) die of boredom?

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Of course not" or "sometimes it FEELS like it..." But, let's think about it. People die everyday for all sorts of reasons - countless reasons. Isn't it possible that among these countless deaths for countless reasons that one - just ONE - person died of boredom? There's a CHANCE, right? So, say A person died of boredom... it's bound to hit again somewhere, sometime... to someone.

I'm pretty sure that someone is going to be me.

Keep in mind, I'm only at this temp job for a week. Just a week.

"Just a week?"

"Uh huh."

"You can do ANYTHING for just a week."

"I can?"

"I mean, ANYONE can do anything for just a week. I was being general."

"I think I'm the exception."

This job is easier than easy. I was promised typing, some computer work, I was even hoping for a half day of filing.... but no. I answer a phone MAYBE 12 times a day (over an eight hour period of time) and that, my friends, is all.

"That's ALL?"

"That's all."

"For real?"

"Uh huh. They even suggested I bring a book."

"Shut up!"

"Yup."

"They're PAYING you for this....?"

"Mm hmm."

"And you're COMPLAINING?"

See... therein lies the rub. At this job I do NOTHING. I'm telling you, they're paying me to sit there and do absolutely nothing. I don't know why I'm there, to tell you the truth. Some people might feel badly about earning money for this, but I'm not one of those people.

The irony of my situation is that whenever I'm NOT at work, ALL I ever WANT to do is NOTHING. My ideal weekend would be planned around doing nothing. Maybe I'd eventually do SOMETHING, but I'd highly prefer to just stick with nothing. Now, all of a sudden, I'm being virtually FORCED to do nothing, AND getting paid for it... yet, I'm completely unsatisfied. I've read three - count 'em, THREE - books in four days. I read an entire book THIS MORNING, and I was amazingly upset to find out I still had 15 minutes to go before lunch.

This is my theory: NOTHING is only really meaningful and satisfying when you CHOOSE it. If it's choosen FOR you, then by its own definition, it ceases to be NOTHING. It is now SOMETHING simply because it wasn't your idea to do it.

So, really, I've been doing a whole lotta something this week. Yet, all I want to be doing is.... nothing.