National Anti-Boredom Month
“What’s wrong with being a boring kind of guy?”
~ George Bush
Vacant, aloof, lethargic and sluggish…(Yawwwwn)…while lazily going through my calendar to see what I might write about this week…(Yawwwwn)…I drowsily discovered that this month is…(Yawwwwn)…National Anti-Boredom Month. (I somehow missed Nude Recreation Week—oh well, there’s always next year—whatever…Yawwwwn.)
Warm breezes and l-o-o-o-o-n-g lazy days filled with sunshine make this the…(Yawwwwn)…ideal season for boredom. Often underestimated, while being bored is when most folks kinda relax, put their feet up…(Yawwwwn)…chill out, maybe catch some shut-eye and, all-in-all, just take it mindlessly easy. When our guards are down, it’s also when we notice dumb stuff…cumulous clouds dancing across the crisp blue sky forming puffs that mimic mops, a windless whirl of cirrus that suddenly darkens into shadows of dustpans, and curls and swirls of nimbus clouds making unmistakable impressions of utility buckets. (What? I may occasionally get bored…(Yawwwwn)…but did you forget for a moment that I’m first and foremost a clean freak?)
OK, OK, snap out of it…enough of this nonsense!
While boredom is fine for a moment or two, for those of us who usually have ants our pants, we’re too busy to be bored—most of the time, we’re doing, doing, doing. (We just can’t make those voices shut-up!) I must admit that doing, doing, doing is my natural state of being – and hopefully, when in that state, my brain is fully engaged, too. When my noggin is in gear and my gray matter is running at full throttle I don’t have time to be bored. If you’re anything like me, more often than being bored, you’re inquiring, inquisitive, interested, interfering, intrusive, and investigating. And those are all good things, because the antidote to boredom is, yup…you guessed it…curiosity. (It may have killed the proverbial cat, but dollars to doughnuts, it won’t kill you.)
Curiosity happens when you enthusiastically explore your environment, survey your options, and simultaneously own both awe and doubt. It all starts with questioning the nuances of life, challenging the systems already in place, and bucking the authority around you. Because, if you didn’t already know…asking leads to knowing, knowing leads to understanding, understanding leads to thinking, thinking leads to mindfulness, and mindfulness leads to creativity.
So go out there and think that you can do anything, allow the world to be your oyster, examine the novelties around you, and embrace our changeable world. Albert Einstein long ago said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” Now there’s a man who was never bored!
So have fun, and while you’re allowing the world to be your oyster, remember that you can remove that smell of oysters from your hands by rubbing them with a halved lemon dipped in salt (What—did you actually think I would end this piece without a helpful cleaning tip!!??)
So, no matter what your age, stay curious, use your head, commit to learning one new thing every day, and always remember…when you say that you’re bored, others might just think you’re boring.
Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com). Please consider the environment.
“What’s wrong with being a boring kind of guy?”
~ George Bush
Vacant, aloof, lethargic and sluggish…(Yawwwwn)…while lazily going through my calendar to see what I might write about this week…(Yawwwwn)…I drowsily discovered that this month is…(Yawwwwn)…National Anti-Boredom Month. (I somehow missed Nude Recreation Week—oh well, there’s always next year—whatever…Yawwwwn.)
Warm breezes and l-o-o-o-o-n-g lazy days filled with sunshine make this the…(Yawwwwn)…ideal season for boredom. Often underestimated, while being bored is when most folks kinda relax, put their feet up…(Yawwwwn)…chill out, maybe catch some shut-eye and, all-in-all, just take it mindlessly easy. When our guards are down, it’s also when we notice dumb stuff…cumulous clouds dancing across the crisp blue sky forming puffs that mimic mops, a windless whirl of cirrus that suddenly darkens into shadows of dustpans, and curls and swirls of nimbus clouds making unmistakable impressions of utility buckets. (What? I may occasionally get bored…(Yawwwwn)…but did you forget for a moment that I’m first and foremost a clean freak?)
OK, OK, snap out of it…enough of this nonsense!
While boredom is fine for a moment or two, for those of us who usually have ants our pants, we’re too busy to be bored—most of the time, we’re doing, doing, doing. (We just can’t make those voices shut-up!) I must admit that doing, doing, doing is my natural state of being – and hopefully, when in that state, my brain is fully engaged, too. When my noggin is in gear and my gray matter is running at full throttle I don’t have time to be bored. If you’re anything like me, more often than being bored, you’re inquiring, inquisitive, interested, interfering, intrusive, and investigating. And those are all good things, because the antidote to boredom is, yup…you guessed it…curiosity. (It may have killed the proverbial cat, but dollars to doughnuts, it won’t kill you.)
Curiosity happens when you enthusiastically explore your environment, survey your options, and simultaneously own both awe and doubt. It all starts with questioning the nuances of life, challenging the systems already in place, and bucking the authority around you. Because, if you didn’t already know…asking leads to knowing, knowing leads to understanding, understanding leads to thinking, thinking leads to mindfulness, and mindfulness leads to creativity.
So go out there and think that you can do anything, allow the world to be your oyster, examine the novelties around you, and embrace our changeable world. Albert Einstein long ago said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” Now there’s a man who was never bored!
So have fun, and while you’re allowing the world to be your oyster, remember that you can remove that smell of oysters from your hands by rubbing them with a halved lemon dipped in salt (What—did you actually think I would end this piece without a helpful cleaning tip!!??)
So, no matter what your age, stay curious, use your head, commit to learning one new thing every day, and always remember…when you say that you’re bored, others might just think you’re boring.
Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com). Please consider the environment.
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