"Let's race to the corner and back!"
"We should build an airplane with the stuff in the backyard!"
I haven't been in second grade in about a decade now, but I still remember the way my principal signed off during the end of day announcements: "And don't forget to play outside until the streetlights come on". I think it had such a lasting impression because the emphasis put on playing was clear and powerful. The message was "Don't sit inside all day; go out and Do".
And when we were younger, we did so much. I spent a lot of time at my Mama J's house with all my cousins. Once, after my third grade teacher taught my class how to make ink, I took my new information to Mama's house and we painted a large section of her white fence (she was not impressed, shockingly). I remember using storage containers and mattresses as staircase luges (which six year old me with his arm cast wouldn't recommend). We would play 3Fly in the street and scram to the sidewalks when someone yelled "CAR!"
Now some people might have had calmer childhoods, but I wouldn't doubt if a few folks got into as much craziness, if not more. But when I look around, I wonder "What happened to those kids? To that energy?"
Take a trip to Frostburg on the weekend and you'll have no problem finding parties. But you'll also have no issue finding people bored and complaining. The complaints follow a pattern:
- "The town should do more and provide more events"
- "There's nothing to do BUT party, so what am I suppose to do?"
- "All the events the school provides are lame, so there's really nothing to do?"
Really?
When I hear people talk like this (and I've heard it from and often), my thought is never "You're right, there really is nothing to do". I think "Wow, people really don't want to take responsibility for their own leisure".
My squad during freshman year was the antithesis to this lethargy. We longboarded, we poked our hands into the woods and our feet in the creek, we took night drives just because. It was beautiful and lit because we never let the defeat settle in. We were doers. When the moment came when we wanted to do something, we didn't sit around and complain that the community wasn't servicing us. We went out, claimed every minute, and put every memory in our pockets like it was a souvenir to marvel at later.
This weekend, I didn't visit Frostburg. I could have easily sat around and just binge Netflix but I knew that if I asked myself Monday "What did you do this weekend?", my answer would have been "...nothing". So I grabbed my bookbag, packed some food, and took a trip to BrainFest. Unbeknownst to me til I got there, it was hosted at my old elementary school. And it was amazing! I got to test run a Hololens, helped teach a robot arm to mimic my movements, and walked away more knowledgeable about the human brain than when I entered.
Don't lounge around until something falls in your lap. On more than one occasion, I've stepped out my door, spun in a circle, and walked in whatever direction I stopped in, no endgame in mind. And through this, I've find the most striking things. Did you know that there's a Easter Island head in Baltimore? I randomly found out one day just meandering and taking in my city.
"But King, my city doesn't have random statue heads or brain festivals?" Well, start one! Someone built that head, someone organized that fair. Especially if your not in a popular or populous place (like Frostburg), it's almost imperative that you go out and start instead of staying in and waiting. The true warriors of Frostburg State? The LARPers. Because they go out onto the green in front of everyone and LARP their hearts out (I swear it's like Medival Times when you watch from the caf). Whatever it is that you love, go out and do it, points for finding others who share your passion. And if your search turns up empty, be the founder of something amazing that other people will flock to.
All it takes is the decision to take responsibility for yourself and your joy. There's so many books to be read, discussions to be had, community projects begging for your services, art to be birthed. Boredom is mindset you don't have to submit to. Take your mind to your younger days: don't wait for the moment, make the moment.
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