The Dull People
When my kids used to come and tell me they were bored, I would assure them that the only person responsible for their state of boredom was them, and that they were the only ones that could change it.   I was taught along time ago that if there are truly any boring people in the world, they are the ones who are complaining about being bored.
The purpose of life is not to be entertained.
The purpose of parenting is not to keep our kids entertained, but to cultivate in them a desire for education…a hunger for learning. Likewise the purpose of life is not to be entertained, but to cultivate in ourselves a love and longing for learning.
I agree with Norman Vincent Peale who taught “You only lose energy when life becomes dull in your mind. Your mind gets bored and therefore tired of doing nothing. Get interested in something! Get absolutely enthralled in something! Get out of yourself! Be somebody! Do something. The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.”Â
I don’t know if my kids are bored anymore… but I do know they don’t come to me about it if they are.Â
The holiday season is a perfect time to take a few days off from many things…but growing, serving and becoming is not among them.
Get Engaged… Stay Engaged… and STAY SHARP
Kirk out
December 21st, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I used to do this as a little girl. I’d go to my mom (inevitably cleaning or cooking for us three kiddos and/or Dad), and say, “Moo-oom, I’m BORED!” She’d always say, “Bored? Here, let me give you something to do…” And then she’d hand me a sponge, or a mop, or a cleaning rag and give me a chore to do around the house. LOL! Yeah…I learned really quickly to not say that anymore.
And as often as I’ve said I’ll never do things like my parents, this is one I’m tucking into my Mommy Arsenal for a future date.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Amazing how wise our parents were, and how over time we come to value that wisdom.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Hi Kirk,
I am inspired by your book . . .and I have a sob story. I bought a book for every one of my siblings and their families. I was planning on reading it tonight at our family party and then giving each family the book. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that my parents address, where I shipped the books, has all of their mail forwarded to their winter home. Needless to say I am frantic. I called all around and even tried to do 24 hour shipping from amazon. Unfortunatly I am out of options. If there is any way that you can send me the PDF version I would be greatly appreciative. You have my email. If you don’t get this in time . . . .I will hang on to the books until next year and try it again. Hopefully with better results:)
Thanks for your inspired writing. Have a merry Christmas!
Kevin