Unveiling Life’s Boring Moments
From Childhood Wonder to Dancing Trees and Everything In Between
I had the opportunity to lead a creative writing session with the fifth-graders at Will’s elementary school last fall. I wanted it to be fun and engaging with several individual exercises, so I chose descriptive writing. I had the kids think about their senses as they write. I told them to help the reader see what they see, hear what they hear, and feel what they feel.
I asked everyone to close their eyes and think about the first day of school- what did you see, hear, taste, smell, or touch? After a small protest by some saying they could not remember that morning, they got quiet. After a few minutes, I had them open their eyes, take a piece of paper and a pencil, and write about their experience so the reader felt like they were there.
As each student began to share, they reflected on that first morning. I felt like I was there with them. I could see it, feel it, smell it, and believe it or not, I could taste it (they had a food truck outside giving away donuts!).
This small exercise made me realize how much goodness might be around us at any given moment, but we often miss it or take it for granted unless we are actively present or prompted to pay attention to it.
I’m no different.
We planted five arborvitae trees in our backyard about a month ago. Each evening, I get out the hose, sit in a chair, and water them. The first time I did it I had my headphones in my ears. I had the sprayer in my right hand and my phone in my left hand. For thirty minutes, I scrolled and sprayed, distracted from everything around me. I treated the moment as a boring task rather than a life-giving experience.
The next time I went out to spray, I left my phone behind. No headphones. Nothing. I sat down and sprayed. It was boring. But then, I started thinking about how much I miss boring and how much I miss not being stimulated every second. I thought about life before social media, before gadgets in pockets, before constant connection and instant messages.
The longer I sat there the more everything seemed to come alive. In particular, my trees. I can’t prove it, but I swear they began to sing and dance as the water fell on them. Even more, they released wafts of their piney, resiny aroma. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I reflected on how life-giving these boring moments can be and how I needed more of them in my life, how we need more of them in our lives.
Practice
Leave your phone behind. Go outside and use your senses. Pay attention to what you see, hear, smell, touch, and experience.
Peace,
Brandon
