Published: April 30, 2008 12:19 am            

Getting bored with boredom

Are you bored, boring, or both? Think about it.

When I was in school at Phillips University I was fortunate to have a wise professor who made the statement one day bored people were boring people. I always have been grateful to Dr Bob Simpson for those profound words. He is absolutely right. People who are bored with life and talk about their boredom actually are boring to be around. With all the lovely, beautiful, interesting things in life, how can one ever be bored?

Even people in wheelchairs with seemingly no speech function and little hand movement, find a way to use a computer and be interested in things around them and make the most of their situation. So, if they can do it, so can the rest of us and not ever consider being bored with life.

When our Jamie was about 6 or 7 she went on a trip to Oklahoma City with us and another couple. Naturally, on the way home after a tiring day of shopping she got sleepy. As she was yawning and trying to get comfortable, our friend asked Jamie if she was bored. Without hesitation Jamie said, “I’m not allowed to be bored.” She wasn’t. Tired is not the same as being bored. We all get exhausted when we do physical labor or shop but that is not the same as boredom.

Within our own community and Kremlin there is a wonderful organization of young people who are the epitome of conquering boredom. Gini Zaloudek and her Wild Horse Gang are busy all the time doing community projects and staying busy helping people. An example was on Veterans Day when they held a reception for all the veterans in attendance at their school. They met each veteran and introduced themselves and got to know the interesting history of each veteran. Then they graciously served cookies and punch to those in attendance at the assembly. They have such nice manners and were so hospitable and kind. Obviously their tireless leader works with them and teaches them how to present themselves.

Nearly every week we see in the News & Eagle the Wild Horse Gang has helped in a parade performing the “pooper scooper” detail or some other worthwhile project. Many of their jobs are not all that fun but they receive a small donation that helps them defray expenses for their community projects. There is not a chance those kids will get into trouble as they always are so busy helping others. This active group is not just for young boys but young ladies too, as our granddaughter, Shelby, was a member of the organization when she attended Kremlin school. It touched her life. The lessons they learn when they are young will stay with them always and those marvelous young people will never be bored.

When I was a kid, we painted the garden gates and barn doors every summer. I am sure it was busy work that kept seven little pairs of hands occupied during those long, hot days of summer, but we never thought of it as work to keep us from being bored. We just loved it.

Living in the country, we never knew what boredom was. We were busy playing or working all the time. We quickly got our work done so we could play. Cleaning the chicken house was a job I detested, but it always was followed by swimming or something fun when the job was finished. In that way, I remember only the fun and not the drudgery.

My friend, Shirley, was telling me a few days ago about some kids who were told to go outside and play until the kitchen floor was dry. They didn’t know how to play or what to play. Have our great kids lost that ability to just find something to do that keeps them busy and having fun? We used to kick a can around the yard, or climb a tree, or watch ants go in and out of their hill, or just watch grass grow and we were happy and content and never bored. I feel sorry for our kids if they are completely dependent on computers or television to entertain themselves. Do kids not play anymore?

I can tell you if my siblings or I had ever said we were bored, my parents would have found us something to do. There always were weeds to chop or a room to dust or a chore that needed immediate attention. We found something fun to do all the time. We still can find something to occupy ourselves and have a good time. I am never bored. In the back of my mind I can still hear Dr. Simpson say being bored is boring, and soon I am up and busy doing something fun.

In this wonderful world there are so many, many things to do and see and feel. The list is endless. Brainstorm. Use your imagination. Have fun. Keep busy.

• Read. The libraries are full of newspapers, magazines, research materials and books on every subject and for every level of learning.

• Write. Find a piece of paper and write a letter or a poem or a family history. Keep a journal. I even keep a journal of our puppy’s growth after my friend, Merry Mary, gave Richey a journal of his very own.

• Enjoy music. Sing, hum or whistle. Listen to good music on the radio or tape or CD. Play a musical instrument, even if it is only to entertain the dog, like I do.

• Observe. Take a walk and look and smell the trees, flowers and things around you.

• Learn. Find a new hobby. Take a class. Get a book of instructions and teach yourself.

• Exercise. Start a self-improvement program at the proper level. Keep active.

• Talk. Call someone who is lonely. Visit someone.

• Think. Concentrate on others and their needs. Figure out how something works.

• Count your blessings.

• Cook. Bake something like these wonderful cinnamon rolls shared by Gini Zaloudek.



Gini’s Cinnamon Rolls



1 cup vanilla ice cream

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 cup sugar

1 stick butter

Bring ingredients to boil and cool. Arrange one package of 12 frozen cinnamon rolls (I used Rhodes) in 9 x13-inch sprayed baking dish. Pour sauce over rolls and place in oven over night with no heat. Next morning bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Drizzle frosting over rolls.



Send your comments to: Peggy Goodrich, Food For Thought, P.O. Box 1192, Enid, OK 73702.