I check my phone. 7:26 am. I check it again. 7:30 am. Wait. Wait. Wait. Check. 7:35 am. Sigh. Again, check. 7:40 am. 7:45 am. Where is my shuttle??

Since moving downtown, I’ve consistently arrived at my shuttle stop on time (7:26 am) even though it’s usually around five minutes late. Today was no different. 

I arrived at my stop a few minutes early and stood between the two open garages of an auto body shop. I scanned the road for signs of my shuttle even though I knew it wouldn’t arrive until around 7:30. 

It was chillier than I expected and I buttoned up my denim jacket as I peered out past the closed-down Walgreens. 

As I stood there, watching the other shuttles come and go, I started to grow anxious. This wait felt longer than usual. Glancing down at my phone, I realized that it was much later than usual.  Uneasiness fluttered into my stomach. Had I missed the shuttle?

I glanced around quickly and calmed down when I noticed some familiar faces. They too were looking impatiently down the street, trying to glimpse our tardy shuttle. 

As my anxiety over missing my shuttle dissipated, annoyance set in instead.

How could the shuttle be this late? Standing at this stop for twenty minutes was such a waste of time!

A waste of time. 

The moment that thought popped into my mind, I knew that I needed to take a step back. To reflect on the situation in a new way.

Time. It’s such a precious commodity. We’re constantly seeking more of it.

And it always seems to slip by so quickly. Yet, in these moments waiting for a shuttle, I felt like it was dragging on. I was actively wishing that time would speed up so that the shuttle would arrive.

How was that possible? These moments, I realized, were just as precious as every other moment in my day. Whether they were “wasted” or not was completely up to me.

And I wasn’t going to let that happen. So, here’s what I did:

1. Realized the moment was finite

The first thing I did was make myself acknowledge that this moment (and moments like this) were finite. There would come a time when standing at my shuttle stop would no longer be a part of my life. And, as with many things in life, nostalgia would inevitably set in and I’d miss those days in my late twenties, staring down Bush street, waiting for the large vehicle to arrive, surrounded by other young coworkers doing the same.

Looking back on my early twenties—when I’d just moved to San Francisco—I remember when everything felt like an opportunity. Having come from Hawaii, catching a bus to get from point A to point B was a novelty. It was exciting to learn the system and figure out how to get places in this metropolis. Even thinking about when I first started this job, catching the shuttle on the first day, it wasn’t boring at all. It was exciting and I was filled with buzzing anticipation. I’d felt so lucky to work for a company that had their own transportation, taking me from my own neighborhood to our office.

Now, here I was annoyed and bored as I waited.

Many activities become routine and insignificant after a while. However, when combined with a memory, with an era of your life, they’re magical.

Realizing that these moments (standing on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco as it starts to wake up) will only be a memory gives them meaning. Someday, I will realize how special they were. Why not think of them that way now?

2. Took time to notice my surroundings

Not only did I decide to embrace the finite nature of this experience, but I also decided that I would actually pay attention to what was going on around me.

If I looked to my left and my right, every other person was facedown on their phones. I had also been glued to mine only moments before. If asked to describe what my shuttle stop looked like, I don’t know if I’d be able to. I could probably describe my Instagram feed before describing this shuttle stop.

How terrible was that?

I was living in San Francisco! A city that has inspired so many writers, songwriters, and filmmakers. Why wasn’t I taking this opportunity to take it all in? Why didn’t I see this as an advantageous setting in which to set a new book?

I put my phone into my pocket and started to look at what surrounded me. I noticed the industrial intricacy of the brick building across the street. Its taupe stones differed from the red brick of a building that was adjacent to it. 

I saw how haunting the abandoned Walgreens on the corner of the street was. Its tarnished cement belonged in some dystopian universe, the red of its sign smudged with age but still a vibrant contrast to the gray of the sidewalk and walls.

I enjoyed the commuters who zoomed past on electric scooters and bicycles. One woman, who I’m pretty sure hasn’t changed her look since the eighties, hurried by in her pumps and pencil skirt. Her curly hair bouncing as she charged up the hill. She reminded me of someone who would have starred in a Rob Reiner film about San Francisco. Sleepless in San Francisco? Forget San Francisco? The First CEOs Club?

It’s incredible how much you can miss when you allow yourself to. 

3. Took the opportunity to take in new information

Finally, though I’d tucked my phone away into a safely closed pocket, its weight reminded me of another benefit of this extra time at my shuttle stop. 

I’m always complaining about not having enough time to imbibe all of the content that I want. From my podcasts to audiobooks to real books to books on my nook to Netflix to YouTube to shows to Oscar-winning movies or Hallmark Christmas specials… I would love to add an extra 36 hours to each day—just for content.

And yet, here I was, annoyed that my shuttle was late, missing out on a big opportunity to add a bit more content into my life.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, re-inserted my headphones, and found a podcast to listen to. I realized how lucky I was to have this extra time to listen to the discussion about our world and to learn something new.

So, how do you avoid boredom?

I think the overall lesson here is to lead a life of curiosity. Why not approach every situation as an opportunity to learn or be amazed? If you’re not sure how to go about doing that, ask yourself these three questions:

Are you bored because this is part of your daily routine? Realize its finite. Understand that one day, you’ll look back at this time and it will seem far away. It will be something that you’ll have to explain to other people. “Oh, I used to take the shuttle. That was my old stop!” Seeing the moment in this way helps to shed a new, nostalgic, favorable light on it.

Are you bored because you’ve been scrolling through Instagram for the past twenty minutes? Put your phone down. Challenge yourself to notice the details of the world around you. What color are the buildings? What do the people next to you look like? What kinds of vehicles are passing by? How would you describe this to a detective? Could you write about this place if you wanted to?

Are you bored because there’s nothing to do? Ask yourself what you wish you had more time for. Can you incorporate that into the time you have now? Listen to a podcast while you commute. Text your old roommate while waiting for a doctor’s appointment. Download a book or a documentary.